Surprise, surprise! The people of Hong Kong prefer to identify themselves as “Hongkongers” rather than “citizens of PRC” or “Chinese”, according the latest results of the University of Hong Kong Public Opinion Programme (HKUPOP).
Compared to the last survey, the number of individuals who identify as “Hongkongers” has increased, while the number of people who think of themselves as “citizens of the PRC” has decreased.
Researchers conducted a random telephone survey between Dec. 3 and 7, interviewing 1,011 people from Hong Kong.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being as much as is humanly possible, or something of the like, the identity rating of “Hongkongers” came out top as 8.12; “Asians” came a close second at 7.85; “global citizens” at 7.08 and “members of the Chinese race” at 7.04. All of these were an increase on the last survey, which was held in June.
But the ratings of “Chinese” and “citizens of the PRC” came in lower than last time, at 6.59 and 5.75, respectively, compared to 6.70 and 5.87.
In addition, those who were interviewed were asked to choose one of four identities: “Hongkongers”, “Hongkongers in China”, “Chinese” and “Chinese in Hong Kong”. “Hongkongers” was picked by 40 percent of people; 18 percent went for “Chinese”; 27 percent chose “Hongkongers in China”, and only 13 percent of participants identified themselves as “Chinese in Hong Kong”.
Bluntly put, 68 percent of the respondents identified themselves as “Hongkongers” in the broader sense, whilst only 31 percent identified as “Chinese” in the broader sense.
Under an “Opinion Daily” section, HKUPOP listed a series of events that have occurred since the last survey that may have affected how people chose to identify. These include the CEPA service trade agreement between Hong Kong and the Mainland, the anniversary of the Occupy movement, and the events that were held to commemorate the 70th anniversary since Japan’s surrender in WWII.
