TNAG-1446-FCO40-1930-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 47

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motives in actively encouraging public response. The PRC

Government is likely to assume that the active soliciting

of public opinion is being done with a view to bolstering

the case for direct elections. The proposed direction at

paragraph 15(1) proposes that the Survey Office be charged

with "inviting" groups and individuals to consider the

issues and to forward their views in writing.

11.

The proposed direction at paragraph 15(2)

charges the Survey Office to take into account

professional public opinion surveys. It will be for the

Government to commission such surveys if they are not

commissioned independently:

or if other surveys are based

on biased questions. A public opinion survey at the

beginning of the period of consultation, followed by

another towards the end, would undoubtedly be useful in

showing the trend of opinion over the period of several

months of intense public discussion.

Public opinion will

Interest

presumably be more informed and perhaps more coherent at

the end of the period than at the beginning.

groups and the media are likely to commission public

opinion surveys.

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