'HK People Now More Sympathetic To Asylum-seekers'

Researchers at the Education University said on Thursday that Hongkongers have become more sympathetic towards the plight of asylum-seekers in the city – but negative stereotyping and a misunderstanding of their situation persists.

The researchers interviewed about 1,000 people, who they said were broadly representative of the city's wider population, in a follow-up to a similar study in 2016.

They found that over the past two years, there was a slight increase in the percentage of people who held a positive perception of asylum-seekers and refugees in the city – from 4.7 percent to 5.1 percent. More than a quarter of respondents held a negative perception – with that figure unchanged.

Among the negative stereotypes associated with asylum-seekers are that they are "fake refugees" or "criminals".

Principal investigator Isabella Ng said this is likely the result of negative media reports and government statements about asylum-seekers, and she said catchy phrases like "fake refugees" linger.

But the survey also suggested that Hongkongers have become more sympathetic towards asylum-seekers, and many acknowledge their own prejudice. For example, 60 percent agreed that locals are prejudiced towards "people of colour".

Fifty-one percent of respondents said they believe the children of asylum-seekers, born and educated in Hong Kong, should be granted right of abode in the SAR.

"Right of abode is a very, very sensitive issue and Hong Kong people are very, very scared of granting any right of abode to any people who are not local Hong Kong people. So to have over 50 percent of people agreeing to give them the right of abode is actually something that is worth taking note of," Ng said.

Respondents to the survey also said the government should arrest snakeheads and human traffickers and hire more staff to speed up the process that determines asylum-seekers' applications.

There was also an increase in the percentage of people who support allowing long-time asylum seekers to find work, albeit only low-paying jobs. And fewer people backed the idea of building a detention camp.

Despite this, the researchers said there is a general lack of understanding of the application process asylum seekers have to go through and the government should strengthen civic education in schools.