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Effects on economy
As the protest continued to escalate and the US-China trade war remains unresolved, retail sales have declined and consumers' appetite for spending has decreased. Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce senior economist Wilson Chong warned that as protests continued, retail sales would be impacted badly. According to a gift shop owner, her shop's daily income have dropped 50% to 70% since the protesters stormed the LegCo Complex because of the heightened tension and a sense of desperation in Hong Kong which influenced Hong Kong people's mood for spending. During the days of protests, protesters brought "mixed fortunes" to the businesses according to the South China Morning Post. Some restaurants saw their customers cancelling their bookings and some banks and shops were forced to shut their doors. Supplies for goods were also halted and obstructed due to the protest. Meanwhile, some shops prospered as nearby protesters bought food and other commodities. For instance, on 12 June, Japanese rice-ball store Hana-Musubi saw a 50% rise in sales because of the protest. Meanwhile, protest supplies such as gas masks were running low in stock in both Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The protests also affected property owners. Fearing the instability in Hong Kong, some property owners abandoned the purchases of land. Desire to purchase properties also declined, as overall property purchases declined by 24% when compared with Umbrella Revolution. Some developers are forced to reduce the selling price of their properties. In Yuen Long, the flat prices for Yoho Town declined by 4%.

The Hang Seng Index declined by at least 4.8% from 9 June to late August. As interest for trading waned, companies that have already applied to float shares in Hong Kong urged their bankers to temporarily withhold their deal. August 2019 recorded only one IPOs, which was the lowest since 2012, and two large IPOs were shelved respectively in June and July. Fitch Ratings downgraded Hong Kong's sovereignty rating from AA+ to AA since it doubted the government's ability to maintain the "one country, two systems" principle. It also changed the outlook of the city from "stable" to "negative".

Tourism was also affected. The Travel Industry Council remarked that the number of both mainland and overseas bookings in August 2019 declined by 50% when compared with August 2018. With their businesses affected, some travel agency requested their staff to take no pay leave. Flight bookings also declined, with Cathay Pacific saying that the firm saw "the impact of local political unrest". Disney also revealed that there were fewer guests visiting Hong Kong Disneyland. Mainland tourists, according to Radio Free Asia, avoided travelling to Hong Kong due to safety concerns. Various countries have since issued travel warnings to Hong Kong. The number of visitors travelling to Hong Kong declined by 40% in August year-on-year, while the decline was 31.9% for the days during and after National Day.

During the Airport protests on 12 and 13 August, the Airport Authority cancelled numerous flights, which resulted in an estimated US$76 million loss according to aviation experts.

Effects on society
Lam's administration received criticisms for their performance during the protests. Critics condemned Carrie Lam's arrogance, and her extended absence and avoidance of public attention after her apology and believed that these factors enabled the protests to escalate. According to polls done by the University of Hong Kong's Public Opinion Program, Lam's ratings dropped to a historic low score of 24.6, and other domains ranging from the satisfaction rate to the trust rate in the government also reached record low. Ma Ngok, a political scientist at CUHK, remarked that the government "has lost the trust of a whole generation" and predicted that the youths would remain angry at both the government and the police "for years to come".

The reputation of the police has taken a serious drubbing following the heavy-handed treatment of protesters. According to some reports, the police have become a symbol that represented hostility and suppression and police's actions on the protesters has resulted in a breakdown of citizens' trust towards the Force. Citizens were also concerned about the Force's ability to regulate and control itself and feared about its abuse of power. The suspected police brutality have turned some previous politically neutral citizens to become more sympathetic with the young protesters. For the Force, some lower-ranking officers reported feeling "lost and confused", citing "a lack of leadership" during important moments. The Force has cancelled foot patrol due to fear that they may be attacked, and issued extendable batons to off-duty officers. Frontline officers have since faced public humiliation by citizens angered by the allegations, some of which also cyberbullied them and their families online. Police officers also reported being "physically and mentally" tired, as they faced the risks of being doxxed and distanced by their family members.

The protests have deepened the rift between the "yellow" (pro-democracy) and "blue" (pro-government) camps created since the Umbrella Revolution. There were more frequent and more violent clashes between people from the two camps, resulting in intense physical conflicts. There were also cases where middle-aged pro-Beijing men attacked younger citizens setting up Lennon Walls, protest organisers, and pan-democratic lawmakers such as Lam Cheuk-ting and Roy Kwong. Parents have argued with their children over their attending protests, either because they felt that their children's actions may cost them their future, or they supported the government and disagreed with their children's political stance. Social workers have voiced their concerns for some of the young protesters, whose emotional health have become unstable. Experts noted the eruption of despair in the city during the protests, though protesters have chanted rallying cries to raise people's mental health awareness and urge people not to commit suicide.

Among the protesters, there was a stronger sense of solidarity when compared with the Umbrella Revolution. Protesters, instead of condemning and criticising each other, reflected and reminded each other in a friendly manner instead. As the protests continued to escalate, citizens showed an increasing tolerance to confrontational and violent actions. Pollsters have found out that among 8,000 respondents, 90% of them believed that the use of these tactics is understandable because of the government's refusal to respond to the demands. Unity among the protesters was seen across a wide spectrum of age groups, with middle-aged and elderly volunteers attempting to separate the police and the young protesters in the frontline and providing various forms of assistance. Various professions such as teachers, civil servants, accountants, medical professionals, and finance sector have organised protests or rallies to stand in solidarity with the youths.