Fears rise over city's fraying social bonds

Hong Kong people no longer find their city a harmonious society, according to a Chinese University study.

In a survey conducted by the university's Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies between February 21 and March 1, only 26.5 per cent of respondents said they found the city a harmonious society, a sharp drop of 11 percentage points compared with the previous poll two years ago. The figures in 2008 and 2006 were 37.5 per cent and 37.8 per cent respectively.

Some 1,005 people aged 18 or above were interviewed in the random telephone survey.

When asked to rate Hong Kong's social harmony on a scale of one to five, interviewees gave an average score of 2.98. It was the first time the score fell below the benchmark of three points. 'For the first time, the public does not find Hong Kong a harmonious society,' the report said.

Respondents also expressed record-high concern over five factors influencing the city's harmony, among seven factors listed.

Conflicts between the rich and the poor remained as the top factor of concern, with 64.4 per cent of interviewees saying they were seriously affecting social harmony. It was a rise of 2.5 percentage points compared with the previous poll in 2008.

This was followed by political conflicts, which 59.2 per cent of people found to be affecting harmony - a surge of 20.7 percentage points.