For decades, Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, or HKPORI, tracked public attitudes on sensitive political topics that revealed a public perception of disappearing press freedom and poor popularity scores for the city’s leaders.
But after its premises were searched and the family members of a former director were questioned by police, it has decided to halt all research activities and review its situation.
The decision is the latest fallout from a crackdown by Beijing on public dissent in Hong Kong under two security laws.
“HKPORI will suspend all its self-funded research activities indefinitely, including its regular tracking surveys conducted since 1992, and all feature studies recently introduced,” the institute said in a statement on its website.
The pollster said it will “undergo a transformation or even close down.”
“HKPORI has always been law-abiding, but in the current environment, it has to pause its promotion of scientific polling,” the statement said.
The announcement came a few weeks after police took away and questioned the wife and son of U.K.-based pollster and outspoken political commentator Chung Kim-wah, who has a HK$1 million (US$128,500) bounty on his head.
President and CEO Robert Chung said “interested parties” are welcome to take over the institute, adding that he plans to “promote professional development around the world” until his current term ends after 2026.
“The research team hopes there will be another opportunity to resume its work,” the statement said, adding that the Institute will “announce its final decision when the time is right.”
Accused of incitement
Chung, 64, a former researcher for the HKPORI and co-host of the weekly talk show “Voices Like Bells” for RFA Cantonese, left for the United Kingdom in April 2022 after being questioned amid a city-wide crackdown on public dissent and political opposition to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
He is accused -- alongside Carmen Lau, Tony Chung, Joseph Tay and Chloe Cheung -- of “incitement to secession” after he “advocated independence” on social media and repeatedly called on foreign governments to impose sanctions on Beijing over the crackdown, according to a police announcement.
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U.K.-based Hong Kong political scholar Benson Wong said the move was a huge loss to the people of Hong Kong.
“The biggest loss for the people of Hong Kong that of a professional, neutral and scientific polling organization that once played the role of doctor to the political, economic and social aspects of life in Hong Kong,” Wong told RFA Cantonese in a recent interview.
“If all of that is going to disappear, I think it will do catastrophic damage to Hong Kong’s ... political development,” he said.
Public opinion research viewed as a threat
Wong said the move is likely linked to the authorities' view of public opinion research as a threat.
He said Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Xia Baolong and Beijing’s Central Liaison Office director Zheng Yanxiong don’t seem to want to know what Hong Kong public opinion is.
Police announced a warrant for Chung Kim-wah’s arrest and a HK$1 million (US$128,400) bounty on his head in December, making him one of 19 overseas activists wanted by the Hong Kong government.
Since Beijing imposed two national security laws banning public opposition and dissent in the city, blaming “hostile foreign forces” for the protests, hundreds of thousands have voted with their feet amid plummeting human rights rankings, shrinking press freedom and widespread government propaganda in schools.
Some fled to the United Kingdom on the British National Overseas, or BNO, visa program. Others have made their homes anew in the United States, Canada, Australia and Germany.
Current affairs commentator Sang Pu said the move would have a “chilling” effect on the rest of society.
“Public opinion surveys are ... are a very important weather-vane,” Sang said. “If those can’t even be done any more, then it blurs the boundaries between what is regarded as political and non-political, or what are seen as sensitive and non-sensitive [topics].”
“I think this is going to have a chilling effect on a lot more people, and that nobody will dare to do public opinion surveys any more,” he said.
Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.