Who Are the Hong Kong Protesters?

Hong Kong protesters have been hitting the streets since June to protest a proposed billthat would allow extradition to China and to stand up for democracy in HongKong. But who are the people who haven’t tired of protest for months and turnout in the thousands?

Surveys carried out among more than 6,000 participants of 12 protests by a team coordinatedby the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that around half of the protestersare in their twenties and people between 30 and 49 made up another quarter ofthe protesters. Males have been more likely to protest in Hong Kong, but onlyby a small margin. Around three quarters of protesters have a college educationor equivalent.

The withdrawal of the extradition bill with China was the demand most often citedby protesters as a reason to turn out. During mass rallies, around half ofprotesters said they had also participated in the Umbrella Movement in 2014,when Hongkongers marched for the freedom of elections in Hong Kong.