@inbook{78a5feb0d9014f709c0117e24ef15047,
title = "The Perception of Higher Education as a Public Good: The Case of Hong Kong",
abstract = "Higher education has long been seen as a public good that is crucial for the development of a nation-state and the generation of wealth. However, recent years have witnessed growing public concerns in many developed economies over the quality and marketization of higher education. Through an original telephone survey of a representative sample of Hong Kong{\textquoteright}s population, this chapter discusses the public perception toward higher education in one of Asia{\textquoteright}s global cities. The results suggest that the majority of the population considers higher education as a private good in which the students should be largely responsible for the cost of their education. Further analyses suggest that this perception is more popular among those who have received less education and have a lower income.",
keywords = "higher education, Hong Kong, public good",
author = "Siu-yau Lee",
note = "Funding Information: Personal perceptions can also be shaped by economic resources. Previous sections argue that the benefits of higher education are disproportionally captured by the wealthy. It is therefore reasonable to expect that they are more likely than the poor to perceive higher education as a public good. Again, this expectation is supported by the data. Figure 1.6 shows the level of support for state funding in three different income groups. Among those who earn less than HKD 20,000 (around USD 2,564) per month, 58.5 believe that university students should be largely responsible for the cost of their studies, whereas those who disagree only account for 35.5. In contrast, among those who earn more than HKD 40,000 (around USD 5128), the figures are 56.6 and 40.8, respectively. It is worth noting that the “middle class” (i.e., those whose monthly income ranges from HKD 20,000 to 40,000) seems to show the strongest support for public higher education. This is not surprising, because the wealthier have more financial resources than the middle class with which to send their children to private institutions (Ansell 2008). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2015, Siu-yau Lee.",
year = "2015",
month = oct,
day = "13",
doi = "10.1057/9781137559203_2",
language = "English",
isbn = "9781137559197",
series = "International and Development Education",
publisher = "Palgrave Pivot",
pages = "8--23",
editor = "{Collins }, {Christopher S.} and Neubauer, {Deane E.}",
booktitle = "Redefining Asia Pacific Higher Education in Contexts of Globalization",
edition = "1st",
}