Most Hongkongers see the city's wealth gap as a serious problem and believe the government is doing too little to tackle it, according to a Chinese University survey.
It also found that most people perceive the government as favouring the rich and that wealth distribution is unfair.
The survey, conducted by the university's Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies and the Professionals and Senior Executives Association, interviewed about 1,000 adults by phone in March and September.
The wealth gap has widened since the mid-1990s. Official figures reveal that while the incomes of the poorest have slowly declined since 2004, the wealthiest have seen their earnings grow about 20 per cent.
Three-quarters of respondents ranked the wealth gap as either very serious or serious. Only 5 per cent thought it unimportant.
About 40 per cent said people were poor because of unfair treatment, while the same percentage felt that working hard did not always lead to a better future these days.
One in four respondents thought the rich had become wealthy through 'bad means'.