Exclusive: HK survey shows increasing majority back pro-democracy goals, smaller support for protest movement

FILE PHOTO: A police officer holds a pepper spray to disperse pro-democracy protesters gathering to mark the anniversary of the attack by more than 100 white-wearing men with pipes and poles on July 21 last year, at Yuen Long, in Hong Kong, China July 19, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

(Reuters) - A growing majority of people in Hong Kong support the pro-democracy movement's goals after China introduced a national security law for the city, but backing for the protest movement was a smaller 44%, a survey conducted for Reuters showed.

Demonstrations have been far fewer and smaller than the mass protests that rocked the Chinese-ruled city in the second half of 2019, largely because of coronavirus-related restrictions on gatherings and the impact of the sweeping new law, analysts say.