CONFIDENCE in Hongkong's political and economic future has plummeted to its lowest point in a year as a direct result of China's persistent attacks on the Governor, Mr Chris Patten, and the new low in Sino-British relations because of his plans for constitutional reform, according to a survey co-sponsored by the South China Morning Post.
There is less general optimism about the economy than at any time since the Gulf War, with many respondents saying it is no better than in the immediate aftermath of the bloody military crackdown on the mainland democracy movement in June 1989.
The latest findings are contained in the territory's longest-running survey on public confidence, which commenced in 1985 after the Joint Declaration was signed.
The poll shows that expectations on the political front are also slipping dramatically. In the two months since the last survey, the number of people expressing general confidence in the territory's future declined to 67 per cent from 76 per cent. However, optimism has yet to reach the lows of the summer of 1989 and has held up better than the economic mood.
Three out of four people attribute their lack of confidence to the current Sino-British row, while 64 per cent blame China's warning that contracts approved by the Government might not be valid after 1997, according to the Survey Research Hongkong (SRH) survey.
The poll showed there continues to be a bedrock of support for the Governor's reforms, with 30 per cent of respondents backing them. By contrast, only 18 per cent sided with China.