Editorial | Government must win back the trust of Hong Kong’s youth
- When our young people have little confidence in the future, as reflected in a recent survey, something is clearly amiss
Surveys tracking changes in public sentiment over the government’s performance are nothing new. But when people’s confidence in Hong Kong’s future is said to be the worst in 25 years, there is cause for concern.
It would do well for those in positions of power to reflect and try to rekindle hope in residents, without which the city cannot stay united and move forward.
It is hardly coincidental when the levels of trust in the local and central governments, and the confidence in the city’s governing policy of “one country, two systems” and its future have all dropped significantly.
Of particular concern is the latter, with the percentage plunging from 55 in September 2017 to only 39 in February.
The confidence level in the city’s future is not only the lowest since Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor assumed office, but is also the worst since the survey by the University of Hong Kong Public Opinion Programme began in 1994.