Abstract
This article examines the patterns and changes in public perceptions of domestic income inequality in Hong Kong in the past two decades and explains individual variations in these perceptions. It found that the perceived seriousness of income disparities had been persistently high, while the perceived unjustness of income disparities showed a fluctuating trend. Our findings lent partial support to the structural position thesis that the privileged groups are less likely than the underprivileged groups to consider existing income disparities to be serious and unjust. Nonetheless, the popular understanding of poverty is still biased towards 'individual' explanations, and this perhaps explains why the government is less willing to tackle the economic and political foundations of poverty in Hong Kong.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 657-673 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Journal of Contemporary China |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 61 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2009 |
Bibliographical note
This project was conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Asia–Pacific Studies of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Centre of Asian Studies of the University of Hong Kong, and the Department of Applied Social Sciences of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.Funding
The project has mainly been funded by the Research Grants Council of the University Grants Committee (RGC Ref. No.: CUHK2/93H, HKU394/96H, PolyU5185/98H, CUHK4331/00H, HKU7255/03H, and PolyU5411/05H).
