Sad city: More than half of Hongkongers under 40 say they are unhappy

Sad city: More than half of Hongkongers under 40 say they are unhappy

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• SCMP Editor

AUGUST 11, 2014

• inShare1

Ho Lok-sang's survey found 52 per cent of Hong Kong respondents saying they were unhappy.

More than half of Hong Kong adults aged below 40 say they are not happy, a survey of 10 regions in Asia has found.

On a self-rated scale of one to 10 - with 10 being the top happiness level - some 52 per cent of locals gave a score of six or below.

A score of seven or above means respondents are considered happy, researchers say.

This makes Hong Kong youth the third most unhappy of the 1,101 people surveyed in Asia, only slightly happier than their counterparts in Malaysia and Macau.

The survey was conducted between May and August by the Ocean Junior Chamber under the Junior Chamber International Hong Kong.

They collected questionnaires from people aged under 40 in Hong Kong, Macau, Zhongshan city in Guangdong province and Ningxia autonomous region on the mainland, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Malaysia and Japan. Each region contributed about 10 per cent of the total number of questionnaires which were received.

While less than 5 per cent of respondents across Asia cited that favourable public policies makes them happy, the rate is the lowest in Hong Kong and Macau where only 1 per cent of youths say that what the government does make them happy.

Ho Lok-sang, a Lingnan University academic and core member of pro-government group Silent Majority, who oversaw the survey, said that some social policies such as construction of public housing takes time before the public can feel the effect, which might explain why the city's youth appears to be disgruntled.

Youths across the regions chose good relationships with family and friends as the top reason that makes them happy, with about 20 per cent of youths choosing this as the factor which increases their emotional well-being.

Good health and getting a pay rise are also among the top three reasons that help young Hongkongers get in a good mood.

Financial stress causes the most emotional anxiety, with debt and a reduction in salary cited as their top two sources of unhappiness.

The chamber called on the Hong Kong government to help improve the emotional well-being of the city's youth.