Abstract
Social inclusion indicators inform policy advocacy and intervention. However, a critical piece of information is often missing: public opinion. Efforts to enhance social inclusion could backfire if they provoke opinion backlash or intergroup hostilities. In this paper, we explain the importance and nuances of inclusive attitudes and develop an easy-to-use survey instrument that tracks public opinion regarding different marginalized groups and support measures systematically. Using evidence from a representative telephone survey in Hong Kong (N = 1010), as well as a parallel online survey (N = 1000), we demonstrate the multidimensional nature of public attitudes toward social inclusion and our instrument’s excellent psychometric properties and potential for use in various research settings. Although developed in the context of Hong Kong, the survey items can be decomposed and adapted to suit diverse urban societies. By highlighting the importance and complexity of public opinion, we hope to foster a more participatory approach to promoting social inclusion.
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According to Piketty and Yang (2021), economic inequalities in Hong Kong have been exacerbated by several factors, including changes in the service sector, wealth disparities among the rich, and uneven political representation. Our focus, however, is on the consequences of economic inequalities, specifically the deepening of social exclusion (Marinucci et al., 2023).
The KMO values were all higher than 0.9.
Another indication of the SFSIS’s validity is that respondents appear to support policies already implemented by the Hong Kong government more than those merely advocated by pressure groups, such as the legalization of same-sex marriage (Appendix Table 11). This result aligns with the insight of the policy feedback theory that public policies mirror and legitimize prevalent societal preferences (Pierson 1993). It is important to examine the differential support towards individual social inclusion policies, and we intend to probe deeper into this in subsequent studies.
The difference was statistically nonsignificant (t = -0.24, p = 0.81).
References
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Acknowledgements
For valuable comments, we thank Glenn Harden, Álvaro Corral, Keelee Chou, Alex He, Weiwen Yin, Gary Tang, Chris Li, Shiru Wang, Eva Hung, and audiences at the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference 2023. This research is funded by the Hong Kong Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office’s Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (2021.A5.096.21C).
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Appendices
Appendix A
See Table 9.
Appendix B
See Table 10 .
Appendix C
See Table 11 .
Appendix D: SFSIS in Chinese (telephone)
跟住落嚟, 我會讀出一啲政策, 請你用1至7分評價你有幾支持或者反對呢啲政策, 1分代表「非常反對」, 7分代表「非常支持」, 4分代表「一半半」。如果你認為嗰個政策提供嘅支援或者保障可以更加慷慨, 請亦都選擇7分「非常支持」。
首先係關於……嘅政策: ……
然後係關於……嘅政策: ……
殘疾人士或者有特殊需要人士 | 1–7分 | 唔知/難講 | 拒答 |
|---|---|---|---|
a. 喺你所在嘅社區開設庇護工場 | |||
b. 資助自閉症患者成立病人互助組織, 互相支持 | |||
c. 鼓勵殘疾人士參與社區決策 | |||
d. 立法禁止針對殘疾人士嘅歧視行為 | |||
e. 要求學校為有特殊教育需要嘅學童提供支援配套 |
由中國內地來港嘅新移民 | 1–7分 | 唔知/難講 | 拒答 |
|---|---|---|---|
f. 提供專為內地來港新移民而設計嘅職業培訓課程 | |||
g. 喺你所在嘅社區開設服務內地來港新移民嘅社區中心 | |||
h. 鼓勵內地來港新移民參與社區決策 | |||
i. 立法禁止針對內地來港新移民嘅歧視行為 | |||
j. 學校同內地來港新移民家長合作, 喺校內舉辦多元文化活動 |
少數族裔 | 1–7分 | 唔知/難講 | 拒答 |
|---|---|---|---|
k. 立法禁止針對少數族裔人士嘅歧視行為 | |||
l. 資助少數族裔上堂學中文 | |||
m. 向公眾宣傳, 鼓勵大家尊重少數族裔嘅基本人權同自由 | |||
n. 准許尋求庇護人士同難民在港工作 | |||
o. 喺你所在嘅社區開設服務少數族裔嘅社區中心 |
性小眾 | 1–7分 | 唔知/難講 | 拒答 |
|---|---|---|---|
p. 同性婚姻合法化 | |||
q. 要求所有僱主聲明自己唔會歧視任何性傾向嘅員工 | |||
r. 立法禁止針對性小眾嘅歧視行為 | |||
s. 向公眾宣傳, 鼓勵大家尊重同性戀者嘅基本人權同自由 | |||
t. 鼓勵同性戀者參與社區決策 |
長者 | 1–7分 | 唔知/難講 | 拒答 |
|---|---|---|---|
u. 鼓勵長者參與有關城市發展嘅討論 | |||
v. 資助長者用2蚊搭車 | |||
w. 立法禁止職場上嘅年齡歧視行為 | |||
x. 喺你所在嘅社區開設安老院 | |||
y. 安排上門探訪有需要長者 |
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Lee, Sy., Ng, I.F.S. & Xiao, H. A New Survey Instrument for Tracking Public Opinion on Social Inclusion. Soc Indic Res 171, 677–699 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-023-03275-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-023-03275-7