TNAG-1331-FCO40-1758-Future-of-Hong-Kong-test-of-the-acceptability-of-the-Joint-D-1984 — Page 311

3.14 THIS WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT CATEGORY TO DEAL

WITH IN THE CONTEXT OF ASSESSING OVERALL ACCEPTABILITY

BECAUSE OF SHADES OF OPINIONS EXPRESSED AND THE TONE OF THE

LANGUAGE USED: IN MANY CASES, THE WRITERS SIMPLY ASKED QUESTIONS, MADE SUGGESTIONS, EXPRESSED CONCERN OR MADE COMMENTS ON SPECIFIC ASPECTS. THESE CONCERNS AND COMMENTS HAVE ALL BEEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT AND INCLUDED IN THE SUMMARIES IN CHAPTER 4. BUT ON THE QUESTION OF OVERALL ACCEPTABILITY, JUST OVER 1,000 INDIVIDUALS HAVE INDICATED A CLEAR STAND. OF THESE, 677 INDICATED POSITIVE ACCEPTANCE OF THE DRAFT AGREEMENT AND 364 REJECTED IT. THE RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL VIEWS IS DESCRIBED IN PART 11 OF THIS CHAPTER.

OPINION SURVEYS

3.15 THE FINDINGS OF VARIOUS. INDEPENDENT OPINION SURVEYS DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH 2.23 AND IN APPENDIX VII INDICATED GENERAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE DRAFT AGREEMENT. ALTHOUGH THE SURVEYS WERE OF VARYING RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY, THE CONSISTENCY OF THE FINDINGS ON THE GENERAL QUESTION OF OVERALL ACCEPTABILITY IS WORTHY OF NOTE.

3.16

THE FINDINGS OF SOME OF THE SURVEYS MAY BE OF SIGNIFICANCE :-

(A) SURVEY BY THE SURVEY RESEARCH HONG KONG LTD.

(SRH) (8) : THIS SURVEY WHICH WAS CARRIED OUT

BY A PROFESSIONAL MARKET RESEARCH COMPANY, WAS BASED ON A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 6,124 RESPONDENTS

AGED 18 OR OVER THROUGHOUT HONG KONG AND

DOOR-TO-DOOR INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED. THE PUBLISHED REPORT OF THIS MAJOR SURVEY WAS NOT

AVAILABLE TO THE OFFICE AT THE TIME OF WRITING

THIS REPORT, NEVERTHELESS, THIS OFFICE HAS STUDIED THE TABULATIONS OF SURVEY DATA WHICH WERE RECEIVED ON 15 NOVEMBER. IN ANSWER TO ONE OF THE MAIN QUESTIONS IN THE SURVEY (AFTER READING VISUAL AIDS BRIEFLY DESCRIBING VARIOUS SECTIONS

IN THE DRAFT AGREEMENT) : ''TAKING THE AGREEMENT AS A WHOLE NOW, DO YOU BELIEVE THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT ARE A GOOD THING FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG OR A BAD THING FOR THEM?'', 10% SAID VERY GOOD'', 71% QUITE GOOD** 14% GOOD IN SOME WAY NOT SO GOOD IN OTHERS'', 1% **NOT PARTICULARLY GOOD

NOR AT ALL GOOD'' AND 4% ** 'DON'T KNOW**

SECRET-

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(B)