Results of the 2019-20 Macanese Survey

The purpose of the survey is to represent, within acceptable statistical parameters, the current state of the Portuguese from Asia and Macau, including those who live outside Asia.

(For those who are interested in viewing or contributing to a Macanese family archive, please contact our associate, Robert Leitao ( leitao66@gmail.com ).

Who are they?
The survey indicated a resurgence of younger people in the Portuguese community from Asia. Over 66% of responses were from working adults (19-64). In the 2012 and 2013 surveys 70% of respondents were retired (65 or older). This suggests that younger generations may be more aware of their culture and are now a majority.

Previous studies also indicate that many descendants are professionals, predominantly in business, technology, medicine, finance, law, bio-medical research, venture capital, and education. Others are students in higher education.

Where do they live?
66% live in the United States, while 24% live in Canada, Australia, and Europe (many in Portugal), and over 9% live Japan, the Philippines, Macau, and Hong Kong. There were also a few responses from Brazil (.6%) and Thailand (.5%), countries with large communities.

Where did their families originate (following migration paths)?
More than 72% stated they had family ties to Macau, about 63% were linked to Hong Kong, over 52% had ancestors from Portugal, and over 33% had ties to Shanghai. Significantly, more than 27% had ancestors from Goa, Canton, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Timor.

How large are extended families and the population around the world?
The mean or average size of family groups is 56.5 people, while 14.2% of families counted more than 150 relatives in which they were in contact.

Cross tabulating survey and recent genealogical data resulted in an estimate of 1.687 million Portuguese from Asia and Macau in the “Macanese Diaspora”. The world map below illustrates where Portuguese from Asia live today. The dark red areas indicate larger groups of descendants. Based on on-line contacts, they are currently in 35 countries.

What is their cultural identity?
While all those who took the survey identified themselves as Portuguese from Asia, over 61% identified themselves culturally as Macanese. Another 20% identified as Eurasian, almost 17% as Portuguese, over 7% as Chinese, and nearly 7% as European.

This may be an acknowledgement of multiculturalism that exists in their families, which closely follows the historic openness of Macau to many ethnic groups.

How do they stay connected and participate in a common culture?
More than 89% have Facebook accounts for personal connections. More than 68% use digital messaging services such as WeChat, WhatsApp, and Viber, and almost 34% use LinkedIn for professional and personal communications. 60% also use Snap, Instagram, and Twitter for leisure and entertainment.

The current number of Facebook sites among the Portuguese from Asia has increased from five (5) in 2013 to twenty-seven (27) in 2019. Many are dedicated to different subjects, including food, history, language, commentary, photographs, family histories, and popular theatre.

According to industry studies, the number of social media connections increases exponentially every time any connected user “likes”, “shares”, comments, or otherwise responds to a post, boosting the number of possible connections by the second or third tier into the millions.

The use of social media to stay culturally connected to relatives and friends may be a major reason why the descendants of Portuguese from Asia can remain in contact across most national borders.

Interest in International business opportunities and cultural travel?
We also asked respondents how many relatives they have who work in companies that do business with China. A little more than 37% said they do. In a follow up question, however, over 59% expressed an interest in learning about international business opportunities and cultural travel related to the Portuguese from Asia.  

Have Relatives who work companies with business in China?

Interest in business – cultural travel related to Portuguese from Asia?

This may suggest that working adults (19-64) in the community are now seeking opportunities to learn and interact with other nations and cultures. Their responses also suggest, given their family histories, that younger generations may now have a global perspective concerning future relations with Asia.

Contributing Family Materials for Research?
The final survey question asked their interest in contributing materials and documentation to the “Portuguese and Macanese Studies Project”, a research study being conducted at U.C. Berkeley. A majority (55.6%) not only expressed interest in contributing family materials, but 52.57% added their e-mail addresses for future contact.

The researchers feel that this is an important step in insuring that many families will continue to contribute their personal stories and data for the future development of the project.