More Hongkongers want to move overseas or to mainland China, survey finds
- Nearly 38 per cent of residents polled by the Chinese University of Hong Kong say they will leave if given opportunity, compared with nearly 29 per cent last year
- Analysts say results show residents put off by high cost of living or losing hope in city’s future
More Hongkongers are likely to emigrate overseas or move to mainland China compared with a year ago, according to a poll that analysts said showed residents were put off by the high cost of living or losing hope in the city’s future.
Nearly 38 per cent of residents polled by the Chinese University of Hong Kong said they would leave the city if given the opportunity, compared with nearly 29 per cent who expressed the same sentiment when the previous survey was carried out in September last year.
The top reasons residents cited for wanting to move abroad included “collapsing liberty, human rights or freedom of expression” (17.7 per cent), followed by “excessive political disputes or unstable politics” (15.1 per cent), an “undemocratic political system” (14.2 per cent), as well as “poor living environment or congested living space” (11.2 per cent).
But the latest figure was still lower than the 42 per cent recorded in 2021 and the 44 per cent the previous year, years which saw more residents leaving the city.
The university’s Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies polled 708 residents between September 28 and November 9.
