70% of Hong Kong Youth "Do Not Trust Rule of Law Since 2019 Protests"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A survey revealed that 70% of Hong Kong's youth lost trust in the rule of law following the 2019 anti-government protests. Although the Chinese government forcefully suppressed the Hong Kong protests, it is expected to be difficult to overcome the resulting public backlash and division.

According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 7th, a report released that day by the Youth Research Center (Youth IDEAS) under the Hong Kong Youth Association showed that 70.1% of respondents answered that they trust the rule of law less than before the 2019 anti-government protests. Only 2.3% said they trust the rule of law more after the 2019 protests. The survey asked young people in Hong Kong about their views on the rule of law since the 2019 protests and was conducted from September 14 to 18, targeting 529 youths aged 15 to 34 in Hong Kong.

Furthermore, about 80% of respondents said their trust in the police has decreased, and more than one in four said they would not obey the law if they considered it unreasonable. 59% said their trust in the Department of Justice has weakened since the 2019 protests, and 48% said the same about judges. Regarding the statement "The government can influence court rulings," about 45% said they "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree," while 42% answered "neutral."

Additionally, only 18.3% said they believe in the fairness of trials, while 19.1% said they do not. Approximately 62.4% responded "neutral" regarding the fairness of trials.

Previously, in Hong Kong, the proposed extradition bill that would have allowed sending fugitives to mainland China for trial sparked large-scale protests lasting over six months, eventually causing the bill to be shelved. SCMP reported, "Since the anti-government protests, the courts have become targets of attacks from both pro-government and anti-government camps," adding, "The anti-government camp criticizes court rulings as too harsh, while the opposing side criticizes the courts for being too lenient toward those arrested in connection with the protests."