CUHK survey finds fewer Hongkongers to emigrate as city enjoys better living

A recent survey has found that fewer citizens are inclined to leave Hong Kong compared to last year, giving a higher mark for the city’s livability.  

Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) conducted a telephone questionnaire of 705 citizens aged above 18 from September 29 to October 14, aiming to gauge public views on Hong Kong people’s intention to emigrate overseas or move to mainland China.  

According to the survey results, 28.4 percent of the respondents indicated they would emigrate overseas if they had the chance, which was “significantly lower” than the figure in 2021 (42.0 percent) by 13.6 percentage points.  

Of those who would like to move abroad, the most popular destination was the UK at 15.2 percent, followed by Canada (15.0 percent), Australia (6.1 percent), and Taiwan (5.9 percent).  

The top four factors to push Hongkongers’ intention to move are lied in “excessive political disputes/unstable politics,” which makes up 16.5 percent, “collapsing liberty, human rights or freedom of information” (15.0 percent), “undemocratic political system/waning democracy/no more democratic elections” (13.4 percent) and “dismal economic situation/overcast economic future” accounting for 13.1 percent.  

A total of 11.3 percent of respondents showed intention to move to mainland China, citing “cramped living space in Hong Kong” as the most significant push factor.  

Besides, when asked to rate Hong Kong’s livability on a scale from 0 (very unlivable) to 100 (very livable), respondents gave an average rating of 56.5 points, which is not only significantly higher than that of last year (52.1 points) but also higher than in 2020.  

According to the data released by the Census and Statistics Department in August, Hong Kong has seen a population drop of 1.6 percent, with an outflow of around 113,200 residents.  

In his 2022 Policy Address, Chief Executive John Lee claimed the government will be more proactive and aggressive in “competing for talents” to cope with the brain drain.