In last year’s survey, 29%… The UK is the most popular place to live
“Confidence in Hong Kong’s future is weak overall.”
It was found that 38% of Hong Kong residents wish to move abroad, including mainland China.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 15th, in a survey of 708 Hong Kong residents conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Asia-Pacific Institute from September 28 to last month’s 9, about 38% of respondents said they would visit Hong Kong if given the opportunity. I replied that I would leave.
In a survey conducted last September, 29% of respondents said they wanted to move, a significant increase over the past year.
The most common reason for migration was ‘collapse of freedom, human rights, and freedom of expression’ at 17.7%. Political reasons such as ‘excessive political conflict or unstable politics’ and ‘undemocratic political system’ followed at 15.1% and 14.2%, respectively.
Only 11.2% of respondents cited ‘poor living conditions or crowded living spaces’ as the reason for their desire to relocate.
The most popular migration destination was the UK (14.2%), followed by Canada, Australia, and Taiwan.
About 20% responded that they would move to mainland China if circumstances allowed. This is a 9% point increase from last year’s survey, and the research institute evaluated this as a “statistically significant change.” The reasons for moving to the mainland were the high cost of living and narrow living conditions.
When Hong Kong’s livability was rated from 0 to 100, the average score was 56.5 points, the same as last year’s survey.
In Hong Kong, the population decreased to 7,474,200 in 2020 and 7,413,070 in 2021 due to a migration boom in recent years. However, it recently showed signs of recovery, increasing by 2.1% from the middle of last year to last June.
Centrist lawmaker Thich Chi-yuan said he expects the immigration trend of the middle class and young people to continue, adding, “Many people feel uncomfortable staying in Hong Kong and feel as if their freedom is slowly diminishing.”
“The emphasis on patriotism education may also have influenced this sentiment,” he said. “Such change takes time, and some people feel that Hong Kong’s distinctiveness has been lost due to the Hong Kong government’s arbitrary style.”
However, “some young people in Hong Kong choose to move to Shanghai or other mainland cities for jobs,” he said, adding, “This is helpful for integration between the two regions and is a healthy phenomenon.”
Professor Paul Yip Siu-pai of the University of Hong Kong, a demography expert, predicted that the migration trend of Hong Kongers will continue, saying, “Mainland China is encouraging Hong Kong residents to visit and settle down in order to boost the economy through increased consumption.”
Gary Ng, chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis, said the survey showed that residents’ confidence in Hong Kong’s future is generally weak.
“With living conditions not improving, residents are looking for alternatives and may be cautious about their domestic spending due to uncertainty about future economic growth and the possibility of better living conditions,” said Gary Ng.
“In such a scenario, residents will become cautious and seek to save more and invest abroad for future opportunities,” he predicted.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.