Reuters Poll Shows Protester Support Holding Up

Polling on behalf of the Reuters news agency suggests support for the demands of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong is holding up, even though rallies are no longer taking place because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The data is based on two polls conducted by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, the first in December and the second between March 17 and March 20.

Reuters said supporters of the protests outnumbered opponents by about a two-to-one ratio, with 28 percent against them in March compared to 30 percent in December; and 58 percent now supporting them compared to 59 percent in December.

Reuters also said demands for the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam now had the support of 63 percent of respondents. That compares to 57 percent in December's poll.

The protests began last June over the government's now shelved extradition bill, that would have allowed extradition to the mainland. They later morphed into broader anti-government protests.