Only 39% Identify Themselves as 'Hong Konger', According to Poll

Residents of the city who identify themselves as “Hongkongers” have dropped to a record low since 2017, according to an annual poll held by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute.

The Institute interviewed 1,001 Hong Kong residents by a random telephone survey from late November to early December 2021 about how they identify themselves.

Only 39% identified themselves as “Hong Kongers”, five percent lower than half a year ago; whilst the proportion of people identifying themselves as “Chinese” has increased significantly.

Surveyed residents who self-identified as “Hongkongers in China” reached 31 percent, three percentage points higher than the last survey.

Eleven percent identified as “Chinese in Hong Kong” – three percentage points lower. Eighteen percent identified themselves as “Chinese” – five percentage points higher than the last survey, and highest since June 2018.

The Institute’s poll has been running since 1997, surveying the changing identities of Hong Kong residents living in the city following the political handover from British rule to a SAR administration under China.