Dr. Xiaodong Yue
Associate Professor
Department of Applied Social Sciences
City University of Hong Kong
The psyche of occupying Central:
Some initial findings and reflections
Dr. YUE, Xiaodong has been teaching psychology courses at City University of Hong Kong since 1997 and is currently the Assistant Dean of Graduate School of Studies. He has published widely on issues of creativity, humor, resilience, and adolescent idol worship in Chinese society. He is an adjunct professor of over 20 universities in China and an ad hoc reviewer of 10 international journals of psychology and education. He is also the founding Chair of the Division of Counseling of Hong Kong Psychological Society. He has given keynote speeches at many conferences in China and Hong Kong.
This workshop will report preliminary findings of a study conducted in the first half of 2016 about university students’ attitude to “Occupying Central”. A specially made questionnaire was made of the study incorporating items about “Occupying Central” and of optimism and gratitude. Over 600 university students in several local universities were sampled to complete the questionnaire.
Initial findings show that students participated in the action primarily for expressing their dissatisfaction with progress of democracy as well as with the government’s handlings of economy. Students also feel generally confident about the future of Hong Kong as well as for the sustained financial prosperity of Hong Kong. Students who are more grateful and more optimistic are more likely to see “Occupying Central” as helping with social and political changes in Hong Kong.