Young Hongkongers do not trust the government, but few are radical, study shows

Only a small group of Hong Kong’s youth is “radical” in their approach towards politics despite close to two-thirds of them being dissatisfied and not trusting the government, a study by the Chinese University has found.

The survey also revealed that those who get their public affairs information from social media were more likely to express dissatisfaction and distrust towards the government, and researchers urged the government to engage more with youngsters through platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

The poll, which interviewed 829 Hong Kong Cantonese-speaking residents aged 15 to 29 via their mobile phones, found that 65.7 per cent of them were very dissatisfied or not quite satisfied with the performance of the government. Likewise, the level of trust was low, professor Anthony Fung Ying-him pointed out, with 63 per cent of respondents expressing distrust.

But researchers pointed out that, contrary to popular belief, that did not translate into many teenagers being radical.

Associate professor Wilson Wong Wai-ho cited the “extremely low” political tolerance of political radicals among those surveyed and their relatively lower political participation.

Around 60 per cent of the respondents found it objectionable for political radicals to profess their stance publicly, compared with only around 26.9 per cent and about 23.1 per cent feeling it was objectionable for sex workers and homosexuals to strive for their rights publicly, he said.