Nearly a third of mainland students and workers in Hong Kong said there is too much red tape in the city, according to a survey by a concern group helping young mainlanders.

Around 800 young and educated mainlanders who are working or studying in Hong Kong, participated in an online survey jointly conducted by the Youth Expats Association and two lawmakers, Gary Zhang and Johnny Ng.

The respondents were asked about their life in Hong Kong and their perspectives on the economy, culture and policies in the city.

More than 30 percent said there is too much red tape in Hong Kong, such as regulations governing money transfers.

“The banking system is very troublesome if you want to make a legal transfer back to mainland China,” Zhang said.

He said some drifters also encountered difficulties when starting a business in Hong Kong, such as getting licences.

“Like if they want to open a restaurant, the requirements from different government departments are quite complicated and stringent,” Zhang said.

Some 45 percent of respondents also said they had trouble building connections at work.

Zhang said the drifters also needed more support as they do not have family and friends in Hong Kong, and the language barrier also hindered them from building relationships in the city.

More than 10 percent of respondents found there was a lack of smoking areas in Hong Kong, and think the government should not impose more tobacco control measures at this stage.