Comparing socio-economic attitudes of the middle classes in Taiwan and Hong Kong

The middle class in Taiwan and Hong Kong was ‘created’ not only by market forces, but through political engineering. ¹ In order to ride the tide of globalization, governments in both societies have initiated various public policies to promote infrastructural and human resource development. In a policy research report entitled The East Asian Miracle, the World Bank (1993:1–2) praised both societies for having achieved ‘a remarkable record of high and sustained economic growth’ and for having been ‘unusually successful at sharing the fruits of growth’ during the period 1965 to 1990. This was a golden age for the middle class. For example, educational attainment jumped, job opportunities for the middle class (especially for women) expanded, and incomes rose due to rapid economic growth. Furthermore, increased home ownership rates and the accumulation of other financial assets enlarged the wealth of middle class families, and the cost of many consumer goods fell, which enabled more people to live a middle class life. ²