The voting propensity of Hong Kong Christians : individual disposition, church influence, and the China factor

Considering the People's Republic of China's history of unfavorable treatment of mainland Chinese Christians, it is hypothesized that Christians in Hong Kong reflected their concern over the future protection of religious freedom during the 1995 Legislative Council election, the last election before the handover of the British colony to Chinese sovereignty. Examined are the relative contributions of individual disposition, the China factor, and church influence on the presence of Hong Kong Christians at the polling booth on election day. Questionnaire and telephone interview data from churchgoing Catholics and Protestants and the general public (total N = 5,915) indicate that Hong Kong Christians are subjected more to the influence of the latter two factors. The influence of socioeconomic status is relatively unimportant in determining the voting propensity of Hong Kong Christians. While both Catholics and Protestants are influenced by general church teachings, results reveal that Catholic voters are more subject to their church's organizational mobilization than are Protestant voters. 1 Table, 41 References. Adapted from the source document.