The Hong Kong government has spent HK$3.4 million (US$436,300) to run front-page advertisements in nearly a dozen local newspapers calling on voters to cast their ballots in this month’s Legislative Council election, which has been shunned by the mainstream opposition.

The ads, which featured information about polling arrangements and the slogan “Casting Your Vote For Hong Kong – Our Home”, were splashed across the Friday covers of Ming Pao, the Hong Kong Economic Journal, Wen Wei Po, Sing Tao Daily and at least seven other publications.

The advertisement, which included a QR code linking to the official election website, was also placed on page A3 of the Post.

The PR push came as an online survey conducted by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (Pori) between Monday and Thursday found that 40 per cent of 6,400 respondents said they “most likely” or “absolutely” would not be casting ballots on election day.

A government spokesman on Friday confirmed the price of the ad blitz, and that the messages had appeared on either the cover or an inside page of a total of 16 local publications. Asked whether the campaign was prompted by concerns over low voter engagement this year, the spokesman said the government placed ads in newspapers for all elections to “encourage” turnout.

Observers and even pro-establishment politicians are expecting a particularly low voter turnout for the December 19 election, the first for the legislature since Beijing overhauled the city’s political system to ensure only “patriots” held power.

Critics have slammed the overhaul for effectively silencing dissent, and the city’s major opposition parties have declined to take part in the poll.

A separate Pori survey this week found that 86 per cent of respondents who identified themselves as supporters of the city’s pro-democracy camp felt there was no candidate running in the directly elected geographical constituencies that was worthy of their vote.

Of respondents who did not identify as pro-democracy camp supporters, 59 per cent said they had found candidates they were willing to back.

Speaking at a Pori press conference on Friday, Kenneth Chan Ka-lok, a political scientist at Baptist University, said the results suggested that the dozen or so moderate and centrist candidates running to provide an alternative to the pro-Beijing camp were failing to win over voters who would have traditionally voted for the opposition.

Observers are predicting low voter turnout for this year’s Legislative Council election.

“It seems that it is still difficult for the non-establishment candidates to find a linkage with the pro-democracy supporters,” said Chan, who is also a former opposition lawmaker.

“Their strategy must be effective in some way, but I am worried that it is not enough for them to win convincingly.”

Caspar Wong Chun-long, a candidate with the centrist party Third Side who is vying for a seat in the New Territories North West constituency, said he was campaigning to voters from across the political spectrum.

Even so, he said: “I still pin my hopes on the pro-democracy supporters, and I hope they will cast their ballot on polling day.”

Wong is facing off against pro-establishment candidates Holden Chow Ho-ding and Michael Tien Puk-sun.

The Pori survey also found that 50 per cent of respondents were opposed to the government’s recent decision to set up polling stations at three border checkpoints to allow Hong Kong residents living in mainland China to cast ballots without having to undergo quarantine.

Chan said the even split reflected the controversy surrounding the move, and indicated that the government should take more time to gauge the public’s opinion if they wished to implement the same arrangement again in the future.

Pori’s surveys on voter enthusiasm have attracted criticism in pro-establishment quarters, with Beijing-friendly media claiming they were prohibited under recent legal changes making it a criminal offence to encourage voters to boycott elections or spoil their ballots.

Asked whether surveys violated the law by giving respondents the option to choose “blank vote” or “not voting”, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Friday would only say it depended on the situation.

“Whether an individual act is legal or illegal all depends on individual circumstances. It would be very difficult to comment as such. I will say, if anyone has an intention and an action to commit an offence, they will be subject to investigation, and if evidence is available, we will proceed with an arrest and charges,” Tang said.

“If someone has no intention to commit an offence and does not [undertake] any actions to commit an offence, there is nothing for them to worry about.”

Chung Kim-wah, the deputy head of Pori, said on Friday that the institute would continue with its surveys despite the backlash.