Nearly 55 percent of Hong Kong respondents in a recent survey said they agree with the decision to postpone Legislative Council (LegCo) election due to the severe COVID-19 epidemic situation, while nearly 70 percent of them support the central government's decision of sending a medical team to help the city combat the epidemic. 

Hong Kong (Photo:VCG)

The research, conducted by the Hong Kong social science public opinion research center entrusted by the Our Hong Kong Foundation, involved 1,192 local residents contacted between August 2 and 5 via random phone calls, Hong Kong-based Bauhinia Magazine reported Saturday.

Its results showed that most Hong Kong residents supported the regional government's decision to delay the LegCo election for one year, given the epidemic situation, with only 37.6 percent opposing the decision. 

Residents' attitudes show that the local government's decision is in line with public opinion and is responsible, read the report. 

As of Saturday, 4,008 confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases have been discovered in Hong Kong, with 51 deaths. The number of daily new cases was 69 on Saturday, 89 on Friday and 95 on Thursday.

At the request of the regional government, the Chinese central government has dispatched a nucleic acid testing team to help Hong Kong accelerate its COVID-19 testing.

Among the respondents, 68.2 percent said they supported the move, which showed that local residents are deeply concerned about the epidemic and hope the central government will help, as the city has been slow to bring the epidemic under control and the number of daily new cases continued to stay high, said the report.

More than 80 percent of the respondents said they felt little impact in their daily lives in the past month after the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong, while only 7.4 percent felt affected, which showed that the law had not affected local residents' lawful rights according to the Basic Law, the research said. 

About 66 percent of the respondents said they opposed US sanctions on Hong Kong, while 26.9 percent expressed support, showing that most Hong Kong residents are dissatisfied with the US' wanton interference in China's domestic issues and Hong Kong-related affairs. 

Given the impact of the anti-extradition protests last year and this year's severe epidemic situation, Hong Kong is not only suffering from economic recession but also facing a public health threat, making local residents feel confused about the future. About 47 percent of respondents said they are not confident in the future, while 40 percent expressed confidence. 

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced on July 31 that due to the current severe COVID-19 situation in the city, the Legislative Council (LegCo) election scheduled for September has been postponed to September 5 next year.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Saturday reviewed a report from Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on the delayed Legislative Council (LegCo) election due to the coronavirus pandemic and the request to make an arrangement for the current term of LegCo to avoid a "vacuum period."  

Lam's report will be put to the vote on August 11, a member of the NPC Standing Committee from Hong Kong told the Global Times.