Great background and well worth a read
The Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI) made headlines after its office was raided on Monday and its CEO and president, Robert Chung, and two other staff members were taken to a police station to assist in a national security investigation.
The developments came weeks after police issued arrest warrants and a HK$1 million bounty last month for six people living overseas, including Chung Kim-wah, a social scientist who was PORI’s deputy chief executive officer. Chung Kim-wah was accused of inciting secession and colluding with a foreign country, both offences under the national security law.
Chung Kim-wah, a former assistant professor in social sciences at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, announced in April 2022 that he had left the city for the UK. He called Hong Kong a place where one may “no longer live normally and without intimidation,” and finished his contract with PORI later that month.
After police issued the arrest warrants, Robert Chung said PORI would be unaffected. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said on Monday, after the pollster’s office was raided, that the case against Chung Kim-wah had nothing to do with the institution’s polling work.
With dozens of civil society groups disbanded and large-scale protests disappearing since Beijing imposed a national security law, PORI’s polls are among the few remaining indicators of the public’s views on societal issues.
For example, a survey in October showed that those who did not want children cited the city’s education system, political environment and living space as the main reasons for remaining childless.
Another study in November found that more Hong Kong residents than ever perceived news outlets to be self-censoring and shying away from criticising local and Beijing authorities.
What is PORI?
PORI is a polling organisation that conducts regular opinion polls on topics such as the public’s satisfaction with the city’s leader, support for government policies, and views on the economic outlook. It aims to document public sentiment with “professional, neutral, and scientific public opinion research,” according to its website, while promoting the freedom of information.
The results of its polls are available on the website, although some data sets must be purchased.
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