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An online survey on “Political Participation and Intentions, Values and Psychological Distress among Youth in Hong Kong” was conducted by Dr. Celia Hoi Yan Chan, Associate Professor, and her research team between January and April 2020. The purpose of the study was to examine the values underlying youth’s political intention and involvement, as well as to understand youth’s well-being amid emerging social conflicts and tensions. Using convenient sampling, a total of 712 respondents aged between 15 and 25 years old were recruited via social media, secondary school, university and community networks.

"Youth’s political involvement is closely related to their values. Therefore, realizing and recognizing young people’s values is vital for socio-political development and policy making. Our society could adopt an open-minded attitude to listen and accept suggestions and demands expressed by the youth, as well as provide young people and young people-led organizations with adequate opportunities to build mutual trust, so as to help them realize their values. Our community should provide platforms and deliver emotional support through online and social networks to support youth who are suffering from psychological distress."  Dr. Celia Hoi Yan Chan

Please click here for the full press release with tables. Tables and figures on major findings.

Background of the research and major findings

1. Political Participation among Youth in Hong Kong in 2019-2020

Since June 2019, relentless discontent about the Hong Kong extradition bill has escalated into a mass political crisis. Youth have participated in various types of activities to express their demands during the on-going social event. Behind these wide range of activities, there is a need to explore youth’s political involvement and their values in an in-depth manner. An online survey on “Political Participation and Intentions, Values and Psychological Distress among Youth in Hong Kong” was conducted by Dr. Celia Hoi Yan Chan, Associate Professor, and her research team between January and April 2020. The purpose of the study was to examine the values underlying youth’s political intention and involvement, as well as to understand youth’s well-being amid emerging social conflicts and tensions.

2. Youth online survey conducted between January and April 2020

The survey aimed to examine the political participation, political intentions, and values among youth in Hong Kong. In order to understand their well-being, the types of stressful events they experienced, their levels of stress, depression and anxiety were also investigated. Using convenient sampling, a total of 712 respondents aged between 15 and 25 years old were recruited via social media, secondary school, university and community networks (Table 1). Among these respondents, 263 (36.9%) had Forms 1-6 secondary school education (hereafter referred as secondary students), and 444 (62.4%) had a Diploma or above tertiary education (hereafter referred as tertiary education students).

3. Frequency and level of political participation of the youth respondents

Types of political activities

Respondents were asked to report the frequency of their involvement in political activities over the past six months. In general, respondents participated in some listed low risk political activities. The most frequently participated political activities indicated by both secondary and tertiary education students were: (1) “participating in a discussion about a social or political issue” (73.6%); (2) “signing a petition” (71.9%); and (3) “joined a protest march, meeting or demonstration” (70.2%) (Table 2). Based on the nature of their participation, respondents tended to respond to activities initiated or organized by others.

Degree of political involvement

The overall political participation was considerably higher among tertiary education students than secondary students. In addition, about 93.5% of tertiary education students and 85.2% of secondary students had participated at least once in the listed political activities in the past six months (Table 2).

4. Political intentions vary among youth respondents

Using Activism and Radicalism Intention Scale (Moskalenko & Mccauley, 2009), the survey explored respondents’ intention to participate in political activities on a rating scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Activism Intention Scale assesses the respondent’s readiness to engage in legal and non-violent political activities; whereas Radicalism Intention Scale assesses the respondent’s readiness to engage in illegal and violent political activities including "joining or donating money to an organization that fights for my group's political and legal rights", "volunteering my time working for such organization", or "protesting and demonstrating in support of the group" (Table 1). Radicalism Intention Scale assesses the respondent’s readiness to engage in illegal and violent political activities, including continuing to support an organization that fights for my group's political and legal rights even if the organization sometimes breaks the law or resorts to violence, participating in a public protest against oppression of my group even if I thought the protest might turn violent, and attacking police or security forces if I saw them beating members of my group (Table 2). Respondents indicated their intention on a 7-point rating scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Results showed that 51.1% (n = 364) of the 712 youth respondents tended to be supportive of participating in both legal non-violent political activities (activism, mean = 4.66) and 44.4% (n = 316) of the respondents were inclined towards participating in illegal violent political activities (radicalism, mean = 4.52).  

Based on the mean scores of their political intentions, respondents were classified into four political groups: Dissociates, Activists, Radicalists and Antagonists. (click here for the table):

The survey data showed that 35.5% (n = 253) of the respondents were identified as Antagonists who were supportive of both legal non-violent and illegal violent political activities. About 40% of the respondents (n = 285) were identified as Dissociates who were neither supportive of legal non-violent nor illegal violent political activities (Table 3). Comparing the two education level groups, results showed that secondary students were significantly more likely to be classified as Dissociates and Activists; while tertiary education students were significantly more likely to be classified as Radicals and Antagonists.

5. Universal value was ranked the most important among youth respondents

Three different types of values were investigated, namely, the “Basic Human Values” (Figure 2), “Universal Values”, and “Collective Values” (Figure 3). As measured by the Schwartz Value Survey, respondents perceived “Universalism” and “Benevolence” as the most important. Among the list of “Collective Values” and “Universal Values”, “Freedom of opinion” , “Democracy” and “Freedom at any cost” were rated by the respondents as the top three most important values. As part of the “Collective Values”, perceived importance of “My country” was rated relatively lower than other items (Figure 3). The score of “My country” fell in the middle range whereas the perceived importance of other “Collective Values”, such as caring for the poor in my country, social welfare, my ethnicity, were rated relatively higher. This suggests that youth do show care and concern for people, which is in line with their “Universalism” and “Benevolence” values. 

6. Relationship between Values and Political Intentions

Respondents who were classified as Activists (mean = 13.05), Radicalists (mean = 13.56), and Antagonists (mean = 13.87) perceived “Universal Values” as significantly more important than those who were classified as Dissociates (mean = 11.78). Differences in perceived importance of “Basic human values” among the four political intention groups were observed. Radicalists perceived “Self-transcendence”, “Openness to change” and “Self-enhancement” as significantly more important than their Dissociates counterparts.

7. Linkage between Values and Political Participation

In general, respondents who perceived greater importance of “Universal Values” and “Self-transcendence Values” such as “Benevolence” tended to have significantly more frequent political involvement; while those who perceived greater importance of “Conservation Values” such as “Conformity” and “Security” tended to have significantly less frequent political involvement.

8. Trauma-related symptoms associated with socio-political events were severe

In the survey study, respondents were asked to report a significant stressful event they had experienced. Among them, 36.6% mentioned study or internship (36.6%) as their most significant stressful event; while and 8.8% reported socio-political events as their most significant stressful event. Respondents who found socio-political or societal events stressful (mean = 2.18) reported significantly stronger intrusion symptoms than those who found study or internship (mean = 1.59) or work (mean = 1.45) stressful. Similarly, respondents who found socio-political or societal events (mean = 1.81) stressful also reported significantly stronger hyperarousal symptoms than those who found study or internship (mean = 1.27) or work (mean = 1.19) stressful.

9. More than 20% of the respondents reported experiencing severe to extremely severe depression and anxiety symptoms

Social conflicts and tensions that have lasted for more than a year may trigger various levels of psychological distress and post-traumatic stress symptoms, regardless of an individual’s level of political engagement. Results showed that 12% of the respondents were suffering from severe to extremely severe levels of stress, 21% of the respondents were suffering from severe to extremely severe levels of depression, and one-fourth of the respondents were suffering from severe to extremely severe levels of anxiety.(see Table 4).

• Implications
  
  10.1   Youth’s political involvement is closely related to their values. Therefore, realizing and recognizing young people’s values is vital for policy making and socio-political development.
  
  10.2    In fostering societal progression, our society could seek opportunities for youth to engage in policy decision-making.
  
  While encouraging young people to engage in legal political activities, our society could adopt an open-minded attitude to listen and accept suggestions and demands expressed by the youth.
  
  We recommend establishing channels that enable youth political participation and develop their leadership skills (such as expanding the room for expression within and outside of the government bodies, setting up platforms for youth policy-making and service works). As such, it is a prerequisite to provide young people and young people-led organizations with adequate opportunities, enabling environment and evidence-based programmes and policies.
  
  10.3   Results showed that a significant number of youth respondents were facing traumatic distress arising from stressful events related to socio-political and other issues. It is recommended that platforms should be established to provide emotional support and that social networks could be utilized to deliver clinical support for youth who are suffering from severe to extremely severe anxiety and / or depression.
  
  Our community should employ a multilevel approach with varied delivery platforms and remote delivery strategies (e.g. online counselling / support system) to support youth at risk of psychological distress, especially during class suspension amid the COVID-19, so that they could receive the support service they need.
   

11. Commissioning Organization
    Wing Kwong Pentecostal Holiness Church
    
    Enquiry about the research:
    Miss Christy Hui, Project Manager, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, HKU, 
    Phone: 3917-5531 | Email: ch22@hku.hk
    
    Media enquiry:
    Ms. Melanie Wan, Senior Manager (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office, HKU,
    Phone: 2859 2600 | Email: melwkwan@hku.hk