Public belief in the SAR's economic and political future has risen, according to the South China Morning Post's first post-handover confidence survey.
The index for economic confidence has gone up five points to 98 since the last survey in April - its highest since shortly before the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.
Nearly 30 per cent of people questioned rated the economic outlook as good, a rise of 10 per cent on the last survey. But 61 per cent considered it average, and 10 per cent judged it bad. The political confidence index was unaffected by the handover and remains on 95 points, the level it has held throughout 1997.
Attitudes towards the SAR's overall future have also remained stable since last October, with 79 per cent of people expressing confidence in the years ahead.
Tsang Yok-sing, a provisional legislator and chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, said: 'I am cautiously optimistic. I think many people were expecting bad things after the handover and . . . they are pleasantly surprised.
'But I think some fundamental issues - such as the legality of the provisional legislature and the immigration problems of young mainland children - have to be resolved for the public to have real confidence.' Such is the buoyant mood of the SAR, many people say they are on the verge of a buying spree. The survey saw an 11-point jump to 102 in the purchase intention index, reflecting a more positive financial outlook among people, a buoyant property market and greater political confidence.
