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The Planning Department today (August 20) announced the findings of the "Survey of Hong Kong People Living in Shenzhen", which was jointly commissioned by the Planning Department and the Statistics Bureau of the Shenzhen Municipal Government (SZSB) in 2008. The survey facilitates the understanding of the social phenomenon of Hong Kong people taking up residence in Shenzhen. The data collected will provide useful reference for planning cross-boundary control points and infrastructure as well as strategic land use planning.
The findings indicate that about 61,900 Hong Kong people (40,700 households) have taken up residence in Shenzhen. Among them 66% were males and 34% were females, with median ages at 43 and 35 respectively. Eighty percent of these Hong Kong people live in the Futian, Lo Wu and Longgang districts. The most commonly cited reason for taking up residence in Shenzhen was reunion with parents/spouse/children. Other common reasons included lower cost of living in Shenzhen, place of work or study in Shenzhen and better living environment in Shenzhen.
Among the Hong Kong people who have taken up residence in Shenzhen, there were 28,100 employed persons and 10,800 retired persons. About 67% and 29% of the employed persons worked in Hong Kong and Shenzhen respectively.
The SZSB, through face-to-face household interviews in September 2008, enumerated 4,200 households with Hong Kong people (i.e. 6,900 Hong Kong people). Based on the information collected from the interviewed households, the situation related to all households with Hong Kong people having taken up residence, as well as the individuals in the whole of Shenzhen, can be inferred. The data collected include the socio-economic characteristics of households and individuals, the living conditions in Shenzhen, the reasons for taking up residence in Shenzhen, the aspiration for returning to Hong Kong in the future and socio-economic ties with Hong Kong. For the purpose of this survey, "Hong Kong people having taken up residence in Shenzhen" is defined as Hong Kong people who had resided in Shenzhen for three months or more during the six-month period before enumeration.
For more details about the survey report, please visit the Planning Department's website (www.pland.gov.hk).
Ends/Thursday, August 20, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:20
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