- Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng's approval rating sinks while just 21 per cent of respondents want John Lee to remain as security chief
- Survey carried out after extradition bill protesters stormed and vandalised the Legislative Council
The approval rating of Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has rebounded slightly to 33.4 out of 100, but she remains the least popular chief executive in the 22 years since the city returned to Chinese rule, according to a survey.
But the ratings of three other top officials sunk to new lows, with Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah scoring just 21.6 out of 100, with 68 per cent of respondents against her remaining in the job as the fallout from the now-suspended extradition bill continues.
The survey, by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, set up by leading pollster Dr Robert Chung Ting-yiu after he detached his Public Opinion Programme (POP) from the University of Hong Kong, found that Lam's rating had rebounded a little from the all-time low of 32.8 two weeks ago. But the increase was not statistically significant, meaning the change was within the sampling margin of error.
The survey was carried out between July 2 and 8, after extradition bill protesters stormed and vandalised the Legislative Council.
According to POP data, Lam remains the least popular leader in Hong Kong since Britain handed the city back to China in 1997.
Former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa's rating was 36.2 when 500,000 people took to the streets to oppose the government's proposed national security legislation in 2003, resulting in him stepping down two years later. The lowest rating recorded by Lam's unpopular predecessor Leung Chun-ying was 37.
Almost two-thirds, or 66 per cent, of respondents were opposed to Lam staying on as leader while only 26 per cent supported her remaining in the post.
Most of Lam's ministers also recorded a plunge in net approval rates, with Cheng and Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu " the two officials in charge of the bill, which would have allowed the transfer of suspects to mainland China and other jurisdictions the city does not have an extradition agreement with " among those at the bottom.
Only 21 per cent of respondents wanted Lee to remain as security chief while 59 per cent wanted him to step down.
Political observer Ivan Choy Chi-keung said it was too early to judge whether Lam's ratings had hit the bottom.
"Lam has tried to do lots of things, but they have all failed to bring a significant rebound in her rating," Choy said. "As clashes have continued (between demonstrators and police), some may put the blame on her failure to address social grievances though some may also criticise the protesters."
The survey also found that support for Taiwanese independence had risen to 44 per cent from 35 per cent, meaning it was the same level as the opposition rate for the first time since the question was first asked in 1993.
How a peaceful rally led to bloodshed and chaos in Hong Kong mall
Choy believed the increase was a reflection of Hongkongers' stance against Beijing.
The new institute, meanwhile, has launched a crowdfunding campaign, receiving HK$4 million (US$512,820) as of Tuesday afternoon. Chung thanked internet users and different sectors for their help, while calling for more regular support to sustain the bi-weekly surveys on the popularity of the chief executive and other opinion research projects.
Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.