"Governance and Political System" Thematic Research Series
Hong Kong has always been a diverse society with a mixture of East and West. However, in recent years, society has experienced varying degrees of controversy or opposition in aspects such as economic development, social livelihood, and political reform. The deep-seated social contradictions that have emerged have caused divisions in society and weakened cohesion. In addition, Hong Kong society is also filled with an atmosphere of black and white and a clear distinction between friend and foe. Social unity has been greatly tested and impacted; some people are also worried about whether some of the basic values cherished by Hong Kong have been eroded. If the situation persists, it will not only affect the government's effective governance, but also drain social energy, which will be detrimental to the development of Hong Kong in the long run.
During the fifth term of the SAR Chief Executive election, the campaign platforms of several candidates all aimed at the current serious social divisions, with the campaign platform of connecting, uniting or getting Hong Kong back on track; reflecting the deep-rooted sentiments of each candidate and society. Aware of the current serious differences in Hong Kong society, and at the same time highlighting the importance of unity. The public generally expects that the new chief executive and the new SAR government can lead the entire society to overcome difficulties, exert a spirit of solidarity and jointly create a better Hong Kong.
Uniting society is not something that happens overnight, nor does it rely solely on individual strength; it requires the participation of every member of society and joint efforts for the long-term development of society. The new government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is about to come into operation. All sectors of society should take this opportunity to jointly think about how to mend the social cracks, bring into play the spirit of unity, eliminate differences, and provide suggestions for the unity of Hong Kong society.
This study explores the perceptions of young people in Hong Kong towards the current social divisions from a youth perspective, thereby providing feasible suggestions on promoting social unity from a forward-looking perspective. It is hoped that the positive role of young people in uniting Hong Kong can be brought into play and good management of the SAR government can be maintained. Governance brings enlightenment.
In terms of data collection, this study conducted relevant work in several aspects from April to June 2017, including a Hong Kong youth opinion survey. A total of 519 young people aged 15 – 34 were interviewed and focus group interviews were conducted with 17 young people. , as well as in-depth interviews with 4 experts and scholars.
Main results of the study
- 95.2 % The young people interviewed believe that unity is very/somewhat important to Hong Kong. In their eyes, the significance of unity to Hong Kong mainly lies in improving people's livelihood (27.6 %), promoting Hong Kong's development (27.4 %), and increasing people's sense of belonging to Hong Kong (20.8 %).
- 49.3 % The young people interviewed believe that the most important element for social unity is people's sense of belonging to society, accounting for the largest percentage; followed by trust between people, accounting for nearly 44% (43.8 %). Thirty-three percent (33.3 %) believe that society has rational communication (33.3 %).
- 88 . 3 % The young people interviewed expect Hong Kong to be a united and inclusive society. As for what individuals are willing to do for social unity, more than half (56.8 %) of the young people surveyed said they would accept different opinions with an inclusive attitude, and nearly half (49.6 %) said they would do their part. More than 35% (36.2 %) said they would avoid creating conflicts, and more than 30% (31.4 %) said they would participate in social affairs. Those who said they would join relevant government advisory committees accounted for more than 10% (11.3 %).
- The average rating of the young people surveyed on the SAR government's performance in promoting social unity in recent years is 3.35 (on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest), which is lower than the average level of 5 points. The young people interviewed believe that the SAR government needs to attract people from various factions to join the government (41.1 %), continue to develop Hong Kong so that social resources can be allocated more effectively (39.8 %), and establish a regular communication mechanism between political parties (32.3 %) to improve society. tear.
- 97.6 % young people interviewed hope that Hong Kong will be better, and 87.3 % young people interviewed do not believe that whether society is united or not has nothing to do with them.
Research main recommendations
- Conduct large-scale public consultations to collect and absorb the public’s opinions on Hong Kong’s future development goals and vision.
- Promote fund projects with elements such as crowdfunding and returns, with the goal of strengthening social unity and inclusion, opening up more channels and opportunities, and promoting continued private participation.
- Make good use of new media and produce short films by young people to promote basic social values.
- Strengthen youth participation and increase the proportion of youth representatives on the advisory committee to no less than 15 %.
