CYNICISM ABOUT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN HONG KONG

ABSTRACT

In Hong Kong, the years since the handover of the territory to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997 have been a dispirited period characterized by open cynicism toward the government. Against this widespread social discontent and dissatisfaction, the government has tried to promote social cohesion and community spirit as a way forward to resolve social conflicts. How people respond to this call for more community involvement and whether they have faith in the ability of community engagement to make a change are questions that should be addressed. This article focuses on cynicism about community engagement in terms of taking part in social services and community affairs, and explains the variation in this attitude. It is found that perceptions of social disadvantage, social trust, and the presence of dependent children have significant effects on cynical attitudes toward community engagement. This article is concluded by an argument for a “broader” definition of community responsibility that includes the fulfillment of family and work obligations, and the avoidance of passing moral judgment on burdened individuals with limited resources.

The author acknowledges the research support of City University of Hong Kong (Project No. 7001250) and research assistance of Naomi Lo and Michelle Tsang. She thanks Graeme Lang, Xiaowei Zang, the editor and three reviewers for their invaluable comments on the draft. She is especially grateful to Kwok-fai Ting for his statistical advice.

Notes

*p < .05; **p < .01.

*p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

¹SARS refers to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which is a viral respiratory illness that first appeared in South China in November 2002 and became a global threat in March 2003. From November 2002 to July 2003, a total of 8,098 people worldwide were infected with SARS, and of these 774 died (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, USA 2004). In Hong Kong, between April and June 2003, 1,755 people became ill with SARS, and of these 299 died (Health, Welfare and Food Bureau, HKSAR 2004).

²On July 1, 2003 the day of the sixth anniversary of Hong Kong's reunification with China, more than 500,000 people in Hong Kong took to the streets to denounce the government. Apart from public anger against the government over the SARS outbreak, another reason for the outpouring of anger was public objection to the proposed national security law. The 1 July 2003 protests have caused a legitimacy crisis in the government, and led to its decision to defer the vote on the offending bill in the legislature.

^a Source: Census and Statistics Department, HK SAR 2002.