Attitudes Toward the Umbrella Movement in Macau : Findings and Implications from a Survey of University Students

The present study examines preferences related to democracy and their spillover effects on political trust and political participation through a social survey with Macau’s university students. In contrast with conventional measurements that ask about attitudes on democracy in abstract terms, this study measures students’ preferences related to democracy through their attitudes toward a particular political incident─the Umbrella Movement. After a detailed discussion on the Umbrella Movement as a feasible and valid indicator, the research findings are as follows. First, students in Macau generally approve the demand for universal suffrage in the Umbrella Movement. This can be interpreted as a preference for a minimal definition of democracy. Second, bivariate and regression analyses demonstrate that a positive correlation exists in students’ support level for universal suffrage, agreeing with the statement that student leaders in the Umbrella Movement are “fighting for democracy” and the importance of “living in a democratic system”. This empirical evidence suggests that universal suffrage as an indicator captures students’ attitudes toward democracy. Third, regression analyses also confirm that support for universal suffrage is a statistically significant predictor of students’ political trust and political participation. The more that students agree with universal suffrage, the more likely they are to have less trust in both the Macau government and the central government and engage in unconventional political participation