¡@

The notion of ¡§Citizenship¡¨ is an essential element in the study of Social Capital. In an economically globalised and highly technological world, the challenges faced by individuals and societies seem to be on the increase, straining previously held notions and concepts of citizenship. 

 This is true of Hong Kong as well. Combined with the change of sovereignty from Britain to China, the concept of citizenship remains very much a topical issue. How do Hong Kong citizens identify themselves?  Do they recognize any shared social values with other members in the community?  How do they perceive the relationship between individuals and society?  As the entire issue of citizen and citizenship are crucial assets to social cohesiveness, it is of great importance to examine their significance in the context of Hong Kong.

This study, which examines the issue of ¡§Citizenship¡¨, focuses on the following three areas: (1) The Recognition of Identity; (2) The Recognition of Shared Values; and (3) The Relationship between Individuals and Society.  The aim of this Study, undertaken through a territory wide opinion survey, is to assess how Hong Kong people view themselves in light of the above criteria.

 The Survey was conducted from 8 to 24 August 2002.  By random sampling, 2,013 Hong Kong people aged 15 or above, were successfully polled.  Of the total, 326 were aged between 15 and 24, with the remaining 1,659 over 24 years old.  To avoid an uneven age distribution, the Study adopted a weighting method to adjust the proportion of respondents¡¦ ages to keep them in line with the age proportion in the 2001 Census.

 The major findings are as follows:

 1.  With regard to ¡§The Recognition of Identity¡¨:

 (a)    Most of the respondents claimed that they were Hong Kong Citizens; more than half of the respondents claimed that they were ¡§Hongkongese and also Chinese¡¨.

 (b)    The average score overall among respondents in having a sense of belonging towards Hong Kong was 7.4¡Funemployed respondents had a lower sense of belonging.

 (c)    More respondents were proud of Hong Kong as a result of the notions of ¡§Freedom¡¨ and ¡§the strong spirit and diligence of Hong Kong people¡¨. Around 30.0% of the respondents, who also had a lower sense of belonging, claimed that ¡§nothing¡¨ made them feel proud of Hong Kong.

(d)    Respondents gave an average of 3 points out of 10 when it came to evaluate their understanding of the Basic Law, with 26.0% saying that they had no knowledge of it at all.  Figures also showed that the lower the familiarity with the Basic Law, the lower the sense of belonging towards Hong Kong.  Furthermore, half of the respondents claimed that they did not know the National Anthem.

 2.  With regard to ¡§The Recognition of Shared Values¡¨:

 (a)    Respondents ranked Freedom, Diligence, the Rule of Law, Incorruptibility, Equality, Democracy and Fairness at the top of their lists as values existing in Hong Kong; Trust and Unity appeared at the bottom of the list.

 (b)    When respondents were asked to name the most important values if Hong Kong were to establish shared social values, Freedom, the Rule of Law, Incorruptibility, Democracy and Fairness topped the list.

 3.  With regard to ¡§The Relationship Between Individuals and Society¡¨:

 (a)    Citizens¡¦ Rights: respondents claimed that Hong Kong citizens enjoyed a high degree of the following: ¡§Freedom to Travel and to Enter or Leave the Region¡¨, ¡§Freedom of Choice of Occupation¡¨ and ¡§Freedom of Conscience¡¨.

 (b)    When asked which three values needed to be protected, the greatest number of respondents replied that ¡§Freedom of Speech, of the Press and of Publication¡¨, ¡§the Freedom of a Person shall be Inviolable¡¨ and ¡§Freedom to Travel and to Enter or to Leave the Region¡¨ needed to be protected.

 (c)    Concerning the use of social services: most of the respondents claimed that they would use public medical services, public housing, public or subsidized schools and social security schemes, if eligible for application; 50% attributed the reason to the fact that ¡§this was his/ her own right¡¨ or that he/she was ¡§in need¡¨.

 (d)    Citizens¡¦ Obligations: respondents believed that the ¡§Obligation to abide by the Law¡¨ was the most important for the sake of Hong Kong society.  On personal level, respondents would abide by most carefully, were the ¡§Obligation to abide by the Law¡¨, ¡§To be Concerned about Current Affairs¡¨ and ¡§To Monitor Government Policies¡¨.

 (e)    Performance of Citizens¡¦ Obligations: over 90% of respondents claimed that they abided by the law, had paid their taxes and were concerned about current affairs. However, only 35% claimed to have monitored Government Policy.

 (f)    64% of respondents had not expressed their views on Government Policy in the past 12 months; the greater the expression of views on Government policy, the higher the sense of belonging towards Hong Kong.

 (g)    Trust of Political and Social institutions: respondents had the highest trust towards the Police, with a lower level of trust towards Members of the Executive Council.

 (h)    Evaluation of Political and Social conditions: Respondents¡¦ evaluation of ¡§The Confidence of Hong Kong Citizens in the Development of Hong Kong¡¨, ¡§Support of Hong Kong Citizens for the Government¡¨ and ¡§The Cohesiveness of Hong Kong Society¡¨ were not remarkable, with each earning an average score below the median of 5.

 4.    In analyzing the personal backgrounds of the respondents, figures indicated that specific groups had particular reactions to the issue citizenship. For example, the unemployed held negative views on citizenship, while those with a higher income, higher education level and with a professional background indicated that their confidence towards Hong Kong was wavering. Youth aged between 15-24 were the most positive towards the notion of citizenship.

 The major observations from the findings are as follows:

 1. Observations on ¡§The Recognition of Identity¡¨:

 a.    Hong Kong people have growing recognition of being ¡§Chinese¡¨

 b.    Society should maintain and develop factors to make Hong Kong people feel proud of Hong Kong

 c.    There is room to further promote and educate Hong Kong people about the Basic Law

 2.       Observations on ¡§The Recognition of Shared Values¡¨:

 a.    Freedom, the Rule of Law, Incorruptibility, Democracy and Fairness are the main components of economic, political and social institutions and need to be protected

 b.    The values of Unity and Trust are unremarkable in Hong Kong and attention needs to be paid to this finding

 3.       Observations on ¡§The Relationship Between Individuals and Society¡¨:

 a.    Hong Kong people are aware of the significance of monitoring Government policy, but they are passive in taking action.

 b.    Concern for some groups with negative views on political and social conditions.

 c.    Hong Kong people have changed their conception of using social services.  Most of them view public medical services, public housing and education as their rights.

-End-

Order Form

¡@