Half of Hong Kongers have thought about migrating

Taiwan top destination for migration

Almost half (47%) of Hong Kongers have thought about migrating, new research from YouGov finds.

Younger Hong Kongers are the most likely to have considered moving abroad, with two thirds having thought about migrating (66% of those aged 18-24 and 67% of those aged 25-34). Those with university degrees or higher are more likely to have considered migrating than those without university degrees (55% vs. 38%). Similarly, those who are unmarried are more likely to have thought about moving than those who are married (52% vs. 42%).

Of those who have thought about migrating, a quarter (24%) are likely to do so within the next three years, two in five (43%) are unlikely to leave in that timescale, and a third (32%) are undecided. Those aged 45 to 54 are the most likely to migrate, with three in ten (30%) intending to move in the next three years.

For those who have thought about migrating, Taiwan is the destination that they most want to move to (50%), followed by Australia (30%), Canada (23%) and Japan (20%).

The most popular way that Hong Kongers intend to migrate is by making investments (37%). Other ways to migrate include finding a job as a skilled worker (28%), marrying a local citizen (17%), or as a business innovator (14%). Women are twice as likely to marry as a form of migration than men (22% vs. 11%).

Cindy Chan, General Manager of Greater China at YouGov Omnibus commented: “It is unsurprising to see that a significant amount of Hong Kongers are thinking of migrating recently. What is interesting is that Taiwan is now the top migration destination, ahead of destinations like Australia, Canada and the US. The question will be to see how this trend changes in the near future and how many Hong Kongers will turn their thoughts into action.”

***Results based on 892 Hong Kongers surveyed by YouGov Omnibus