Abstract Principle Versus Concrete Interest: A Study of Education and Political Opinion in Hong Kong

Education is one of the fundamental forces shaping people's political opinions. Past studies in the West have shown that education increases people's support for abstract democratic principles, but not necessarily for concrete policies implementing these principles. This article examines t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal for quality in health care 2002-04, Vol.14 (1), p.54-72
Main Authors: Chan, Joseph Man, Chau, Kenneth K. L., Lee, Francis L. F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Democracy
Educational Attainment
Hong Kong
Level of education
Opinion formation
Political Attitudes
Political opinions
Political Socialization
Public Opinion
Secondary education
Self-interest
Tertiary education
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Summary:Education is one of the fundamental forces shaping people's political opinions. Past studies in the West have shown that education increases people's support for abstract democratic principles, but not necessarily for concrete policies implementing these principles. This article examines the impact of education in Hong Kong. Do people with different education levels hold different opinions regarding abstract social principles? How do people's support for principles and their self‐interest affect their policy opinions? The right of abode controversy in 1999 provides a test case for these questions. Drawing on two surveys, we found that tertiary education (college) had an enlightening effect on people's support and application of social principles in Hong Kong, especially during the early stage of the controversy. Tertiary education was negatively related to people's concern for self‐interest, and for people with a secondary level of education, the relationship between adherence to principles and opinion was weakest, and they show the strongest concern for their own interest. The findings can be explained by referring to both theoretical perspectives and situational factors such as the underdevelopment of democracy in Hong Kong and the shortcomings of civic education in its school system.
ISSN:0954-2892
1353-4505
1471-6909
1464-3677
DOI:10.1093/ijpor/14.1.54