Survey Finds More Than 60% of Respondents Distrust Hong Kong’s Mainstream Media

The “Public Opinion Research Project on Hong Kong Residents at Home and Abroad” recently released a survey report on the credibility of news media. The results show that over 60 percent of the surveyed Hong Kong residents, both at home and abroad, are dissatisfied with the performance of Hong Kong’s mainstream media. They believe these outlets engage in self-censorship and are biased toward the government.

The survey was carried out via an online questionnaire between Nov. 12, 2025, and May 5 of this year. A total of 507 people aged 18 or older were interviewed. Respondents came from multiple countries, with the largest groups from the United Kingdom (39 percent) and Hong Kong (32 percent). The remainder were from Canada, Australia, the United States, and other locations.

The results show that over 90 percent of respondents obtain news and information through social media platforms and that 96 percent believe news reports from official media in mainland China and Hong Kong are not credible. Over 60 percent believe that Hong Kong’s mainstream media is untrustworthy, with 23 percent describing it as “very untrustworthy.” Additionally, 94 percent of respondents believe that Hong Kong’s mainstream media is biased toward the government, while only three percent believe it is capable of neutral reporting.

In contrast, 80 percent of respondents believe that media outlets run by Hong Kongers overseas are more credible than Hong Kong’s mainstream media. Only two percent consider such outlets untrustworthy.

The survey indicates that the most common reason for respondents’ negative evaluations of Hong Kong media is that “Hong Kong media engage in self-censorship, whereas overseas media are better able to exercise freedom of speech.” In fact, 92 percent of respondents believe that media outlets run by Hong Kongers overseas should be supported and subscribed to.

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The survey compared respondents’ trust in local mainstream media, independent media, and overseas Hong Kong media. The results showed that 58 percent considered local independent media more credible, 36 percent considered overseas media more credible, and only one percent considered mainstream media more credible. When comparing mainstream and overseas media, 83 percent of respondents were more inclined to trust the latter.

Hong Kong media lacks accountability 

Regarding accountability in reporting, 75 percent of respondents felt that local media lacked accountability. Meanwhile, 47 percent believed that increasingly active overseas media performed better in this regard, viewing them more favorably. Despite the fact that overseas Hong Kong media cannot conduct on-site reporting in Hong Kong and have been questioned about their ability to report the truth, the study found that 61 percent of respondents believe that overseas media “frequently” conduct sufficient fact-checking, while 35 percent believe that such fact-checking occurs “occasionally.” The research team considers this a positive outcome.

Furthermore, the largest number of respondents accessed news through Chasing Light (including Chasing News and Light Media) and Green Bean, which together accounted for approximately 85 percent of the total—more than double the share of the most-accessed local media outlets among the respondent group, NOW TV and Commercial Radio. The credibility ratings for Chasing Light and Green Bean were 90 and 89 percent, respectively, followed by Leng Jiao (63 percent) and Jian Li Di Qiu (31 percent). 

Seventy-four percent of respondents believe that media reports by overseas Hong Kongers supplement information unavailable in Hong Kong, particularly regarding political news. At the same time, 82 percent believe these media outlets help the international community understand the situation in Hong Kong. The survey also revealed that 73 percent of respondents hope that media outlets run by overseas Hong Kongers will expose the truth.

Zhong Jianhua, the former deputy executive director of the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute who led the survey, reflected on his 50 years as a loyal reader of print media, having read Ming Pao since before turning 10. However, he expressed deep regret that the survey revealed that the Hong Kong government has undermined and stripped Hong Kong of its press freedom, causing the credibility that traditional media had built up over half a century to collapse.

Hong Kong Media Overseas chairman Joseph Ngan said independent media in Hong Kong and Hong Kong media operating overseas can complement mainstream coverage by reporting stories that other outlets may not cover as fully. The survey found that 92 percent of respondents believed credible overseas Hong Kong media should receive support or funding, while 51 percent had paid to support such outlets and 31 percent were monthly donors.

In April of this year, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released the 2026 World Press Freedom Index. Hong Kong, which had previously ranked 18th in the world, has remained in 140th place for two consecutive years and is classified as being in a “dire situation.”

Hong Kong’s score fell slightly from 39.86 last year to 39.49. Its rankings and scores for political and economic indicators declined to 148th and 79th, respectively. Meanwhile, its ranking for legal indicators rose by one place to 148th, though its score fell.