Young, educated and middle class: first field study of Hong Kong protesters reveals demographic trends
- Nearly 60 per cent are 29 or younger, while almost 18 per cent 45 or older
- And nearly 74 per cent had received at least some tertiary education
Almost 75 per cent of the protesters who have taken to the streets in Hong Kong in recent weeks have had some higher education and nearly 60 per cent are younger than 30 years old, a study has found.
The first field study to focus on the anti-government movement also found that 16 per cent of the protesters were involved in social activism for the first time.
The survey, which was made public on Monday, was conducted by three local scholars: Professor Francis Lee Lap-fung, director of Chinese University’s School of Journalism and Communication, Edmund Cheng Wai, an assistant professor at Baptist University, and Samson Yuen Wai-hei of Lingnan University.
The researchers studied 6,600 questionnaires handed out at 12 anti-extradition protests between June 9 and August 4.
The Hong Kong government has faced a crippling crisis since June as protests against a now-shelved extradition bill evolved into an escalating movement against the government and the police.
Lee said the government’s critics had several things in common: “Generally speaking, the protesters tend to be young and had received tertiary education.”
Generally speaking, the protesters tend to be young and had received tertiary education
According to the survey, 57.7 per cent of the participants were age 29 or younger, while more than 26 per cent were between 20 and 24 years old – the biggest segment of the protest camp. Nearly 18 per cent of the protesters surveyed were 45 or older.
