Survey reveals widening rift between generations of Hongkongers over anti-government protests
- Some 42 per cent of young Hongkongers surveyed frequently or occasionally argued with their parents over past few months, ‘current affairs’ being the major provocation
- Youngsters ranked freedoms as the most important core value, while their parents considered social stability above all
A young respondent said he planned to move away from his parents who held “extreme pro-government views” after they threatened they would ask police to arrest him if he went out to protest again.
A sharp divide in personal beliefs has also opened up along generations, according to the survey, with youngsters saying freedoms are the most important core value for Hongkongers, while their parents prefer social stability.
“Recent protests have triggered vigorous discussions, arguments, and even conflicts between generations, who hold sharply different values,” researcher Christine Chan of Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups said at a press briefing on Monday.
“Baby boomers born after the second world war want stability above everything else, while young people born in a more affluent society after the 1990s consider their values and their own way of life as of bigger importance than economic growth.”
