Residents are generally satisfied with the level of day-to-day freedom, but are concerned about the development of a more democratic system of government, according to a recent survey. Of the 891 people questioned, 43 per cent said they were satisfied with the Government's handling of freedom of speech, assembly and protest activities. Only 20 per cent expressed dissatisfaction, compared with 28 per cent last year. The annual survey was conducted by the Chinese University this month on behalf of the Hong Kong Centre for Studies on Relations Across the Taiwan Strait. Legislative Councillor and democracy advocate Lee Cheuk-yan said several issues in the past year raised concerns about democracy and legal autonomy, including the Government's decision not to prosecute newspaper tycoon Sally Aw Sian in a circulation falsification case. But he said people did not think those issues directly affected them. However, people were split on whether the Government was doing a good job of furthering democracy, and many people were undecided. Twenty-nine per cent of respondents were satisfied with the rate of democratic development, but 27 per cent were dissatisfied. Satisfaction ratings for the Government and various government bodies remained low, with only 30 per cent happy with the overall performance, the same as last year. But fewer people were displeased with the Government's performance, 20 per cent against 25 per cent last year. Mr Lee attributed the improved satisfaction to the recent Legco election. 'People see that they've had an election and they had a say in selecting a group of people who represent them, so surveys after elections are generally better than before,' he said. In contrast, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's satisfaction rating dropped from 30 per cent to 25 per cent. Centre vice-chairman Chang Chak-yan said people did not equate Mr Tung with the rest of the Government. 'They see Anson Chan [Fang On-sang] as representative of the Government, not Mr Tung,' he said. 'He's seen as being wishy-washy. He would say something, such as supporting the [Court of Final Appeal] ruling one day, but a few days later he would change his mind. People get the impression he's always bowing to pressure from Beijing.'
