Advertisement
Legco by-election 2018
Hong KongPolitics

Choices of the rich, poor and middle-class: how Hong Kong Island residents voted in Sunday’s by-election

Those in middle-class estates stayed loyal to the pro-democracy bloc’s Au Nok-hin while his rival Judy Chan scored points with the Peak and public housing residents 

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Hong Kong Island voters are generally seen as more educated and inclined to take a middle of the road approach in voting. However, they stayed loyal to the pro-democracy bloc and elected the camp’s Au Nok-hin. Photo: Dickson Lee
Jeffie Lam
Middle-class voters on Hong Kong Island stayed loyal to the pro-democracy bloc and helped Au Nok-hin win the seat in Sunday’s Legislative Council by-election, while those living in the richest and poorest neighbourhoods backed pro-establishment candidate Judy Chan Ka-pui.

Hong Kong democrats fail to win back Legco veto foothold in by-election

The Post’s analysis found Au, who got 50.7 per cent of valid votes compared to Chan’s 47.2 per cent vote share, had solid appeal in areas with “blue chip housing estates” or large scale private developments catering to middle-income families. In contrast, Chan’s top four strongholds were affluent areas on the island.

Middle-class voters living in large-scale residential developments in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island supported the pro-democracy bloc’s candidate. Photo: Nora Tam
Middle-class voters living in large-scale residential developments in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island supported the pro-democracy bloc’s candidate. Photo: Nora Tam 

The island is the city’s most iconic area – with the seat of government, the major financial and business district and a host of tourist and leisure attractions. 

Advertisement

It is also home to over 1.2 million people – of whom 623,273 are registered voters. Overall, they have the highest education levels across all constituencies and tend to be more evenly split across the political divide, though in previous polls they favoured pro-democracy parties.

What happened to the disqualifications backlash? Five takeaways from Hong Kong’s Legco by-election

Thus, pundits wondered if the disqualification of six pan-democrat lawmakers over an oath-taking saga, which triggered the by-election, and the subsequent ban on young activist Agnes Chow Ting from contesting, would translate into more support for Au.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x