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Mads Ocz/s
JUM
per. Opinion ра
Polls
020131
MDHIAN 4488
0
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FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1353
OF 191029Z MAY 92
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
TOP COPY Q DIST?
THE PACE OF CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE:
PUBLIC OPINION POLLS
IN PRESSING THEIR CASE FOR A FASTER PACE OF CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE DURING THEIR VISIT TO LONDON, MARTIN LEE AND YEUNG SUM HAVE SAID THEY WILL DRAW ON THE RESULTS OF A RECENT PUBLIC
OPINION POLL. YOU MIGHT FIND IT HELPFUL TO HAVE A DESCRIPTION OF
THE RESULTS OF THIS AND OTHER RECENT OPINION POLLS DEALING WITH
THE DEMOCRACY ISSUE.
2. THE POLL WHICH THE UDHK HAS LATCHED ONTO WAS PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY MORNING POST ON 3 MAY. THE POLL WAS CONDUCTED BY TELEPHONE WITH A SAMPLE OF 465 PEOPLE. THE MAIN REPORTED FINDING WAS THAT 83 PER CENT OF RESPONDENTS WANTED THE INCOMING GOVERNOR TO QUOTE SPEED UP THE PACE OF DEMOCRATISATION BEFORE 1997, EVEN AT THE COST OF A CONFRONTATION WITH CHINA UNQUOTE. ONLY 12 PER CENT OPPOSED SUCH A COURSE OF ACTION.
3.
MARTIN LEE AND YEUNG SUM CAN BE EXPECTED TO MAKE MUCH OF THIS RESULT DURING THEIR DISCUSSION IN LONDON. IT SHOULD NOT, HOWEVER, BE ACCEPTED AT FACE VALUE. PARADOXICALLY, THE SAME POLL FOUND THAT A FASTER PACE OF DEMOCRACY DID NOT RANK HIGHLY IN RESPONDENTS' PRIORITIES. WHEN ASKED QUOTE WHAT SHOULD MR. PATTEN'S PRIORITIES BE? UNQUOTE, 49 PER CENT SAID TACKLING INFLATION: 35 PER CENT SAID GOOD RELATIONS WITH CHINA AND ONLY 9 PER CENT SAID GREATER DEMOCRACY.
4.
ON 8 MAY, THE MASS CIRCULATION ORIENTAL DAILY PUBLISHED THE COMPOSITE RESULTS OF THREE OPINION POLLS CONDUCTED DURING THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR (TOTAL SAMPLE SIZE OF 3,065 PEOPLE). THE QUESTION PUT WAS QUOTE WHAT SHOULD MR. PATTEN'S PRIORITIES BE WHEN HE ARRIVES IN JULY UNQUOTE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE NEWSPAPER DID NOT PROVIDE THE PERCENTAGE RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION. INSTEAD, IT SUMMARISED THE RESULTS BY SAYING THAT THE COMMUNITY IS QUOTE CONCERNED ABOUT LIVELIHOOD ISSUES AND APATHETIC ABOUT POLITICS UNQUOTE. IT SEEMS THAT MOST RESPONDENTS WERE CONCERNED ABOUT BREAD AND BUTTER ISSUES AND THAT FEW SAID THAT GRATER DEMOCRACY
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