Hong Kong most optimistic in Asia about 2008: survey

Hong Kong (ANTARA News) - Hong Kong people are more optimistic about 2008 than anyone else in Asia, with Taiwanese and Indonesians the most gloomy, a new survey released Monday has found.

The survey by research firm TNS and Gallup International found that 71 percent of Hong Kong residents think 2008 will be a better year than 2007.

This compares with just 19 percent in Taiwan, which will hold parliamentary and presidential elections in the early part of 2008. A third of Taiwanese surveyed thought 2008 would be worse, the highest figure in the region.

Only 21 percent of people surveyed in Japan and Indonesia thought the next year would show an improvement over 2007.

New Zealand, Australia and India were the next most optimistic after the southern Chinese territory, among the 11 nations surveyed between October and December.

The city's strong economy had played a major role in boosting confidence, Thomas Isaac, director of research services at TNS in Hong Kong, was quoted by AFP as saying.