42 percent of people would leave HK if they can: poll

Figures by the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies showed a slight drop in the number of people who would move out of the city if given the opportunity.

The institute interviewed 716 people over the phone from September 16 to 25 and found 42 percent of the respondents said they would leave Hong Kong if they have the chance, with their most preferred destinations being the UK, Canada and Australia.

That was down from 43.9 percent in the institute’s last survey in September 2020.

The institute, though, said the difference between the two figures were statistically insignificant.

The survey also found 49.5 percent of the respondents said they had no plans to leave Hong Kong, up from 46.8 percent a year ago.

Among the factors cited by the respondents who would leave if they have the chance were dissatisfaction with the government and excessive political dispute. They also said greater liberty and ample living space were among the reasons to emigrate.

11.6 percent said they would move to the mainland if they had the chance, about 2 percentage points higher than in the 2020 survey. They cited ample living space, brighter economic prospects and affordable housing prices as the top three reasons.

The sampling error of the survey is plus or minus 3.66 percentage points, at a confidence level of 95 percent.
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Last updated: 2021-10-20 HKT 16:08