60% mainlanders oppose referendum: survey

A Global Times poll has revealed that the majority of residents of the Chinese mainland have no idea that there is an ongoing unofficial referendum and planned Occupy Central movement in Hong Kong, and more than 60 percent opposed these two activities after being informed.

The survey interviewed 1,434 respondents aged over 18 in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changsha, Chengdu and Xi'an.

The poll found that less than one-third of respondents knew about the unofficial referendum, and less than a quarter knew about the Occupy Central movement.

After being given a brief explanation, almost 60 percent of respondents opposed the vote and only 5 percent of them said they support the vote. Nearly half of the respondents said they oppose the Occupy Central movement and more than 28 percent said they not only oppose Occupy Central, but also added that such behavior should be strictly punished by the local police.

In addition, more than 77 percent said the future of Hong Kong should be decided jointly by the 1.3 billion Chinese.

And 82 percent polled said that they would support the government to take strong moves to maintain stability if riots happen.

"The activists in Hong Kong should not focus on challenging the bottom lines [of the central government], they should try to win their rights and interests within the framework of the Basic Law," said Yin Hongbiao, a professor of international relations at Peking University.

He added that the mainland people should also objectively look at the diversity of Hong Kong society.