EJ Insight » Hong KongToday, 1:32 PM
Hong Kong people are not as happy as they were last year, although those below 30 are more satisfied with their life. Photo: HKEJ
Hong Kong people are not as happy as they were last year, although those below 30 are more satisfied with their life, according to a survey.
Lingnan University’s happiness index for this year hit a seven-year low at 70 points (with 100 being the highest), down 0.5 point from last year, Ming Pao Daily reported.
However, the sub-index for people aged 29 and below rose to 69.3 from 67.8 last year, while that for people aged 30 and above was down.
For the survey, a total of 913 Hong Kong residents 21 years old and above were interviewed by telephone from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, with a response rate of 24.7 percent.
Ho Lok-sang, director of the university’s Center for Public Policy Studies, attributed the lower happiness index to the worsening social atmosphere and more disputes, which, on the other hand, were seen as opportunities by young people and therefore allowed them to feel happier.
Shiu Ka-chun, deputy director of the Center For Youth Research and Practice at Hong Kong Baptist University, said last year’s Occupy movement also contributed positively to the happiness index for young people because it helped them release their dissatisfaction with society, although they failed to get what they wanted in the end.
Meanwhile, the happiness index for families with a monthly income of less than HK$20,000 rose while the index for families earning more went down.
The happiness index for those who work more than 60 hours a week stood at 6.56 (with 10 being the highest), about 7 percent lower than the index for those who work 39 hours or less.
Ho said the higher minimum wage set by the government this year could have made families with less income happier.
Still, he suggested the government establish standard working hours to help Hongkongers get better life-work balance.
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