Cooperate But Divided at Heart: Analysis of an Opposition Elite Survey During Autocratization

When opposition elites cooperate to counteract authoritarian incumbents, they often deemphasize their fissures. But behind the scenes of cooperation, will their attitudinal divisions remain? If so, on what dimensions? Though these questions have important implications for the tenacity of cooperation and future political developments, the current literature does not shed much light on them. Our research answers these questions by examining the case of Hong Kong, which has undergone widespread repression. We surveyed district councilors in an autocratization episode in which opposition elites were highly cohesive. Using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov metric, we find that opposition factions share similar economic attitudes. Yet, despite their cooperative behavior, they still hold divided attitudes on the center-periphery and democratization strategies dimensions. These findings contribute to the burgeoning literature on autocratization by highlighting the (in)congruence of opposition elites’ attitudes and behavior.