65 pc of tertiary students lack self-identity, prone to being disengaged: survey

A survey conducted by Shue Yan University found that the majority of the responding students lack identity and are easily disengaged, urging for better promotion of life planning.

Youth is a critical stage for establishing personality, and the social science research team of Hong Kong Shue Yan University today released research results on youth self-identity and "active" and "passive" mentalities.

The researchers began to survey 543 secondary school students and 543 college and university students aged 15 to 24 at the end of 2020.

During the research, they were required to complete a survey every six months, completing four phases of information collection.

Cheung Yuet-wah, project coordinator of the research team and director of the Sociology Department of Shue Yan University, pointed out that establishing identity positively relates to personal life satisfaction and enthusiasm for engaging in life.

It was found that nearly 80% of middle school students and 65% of college and university students have not formed their own identities.

The study also found that respondents who had formed their self-identity had a high rate of satisfaction, a better relationship with their parents, more proactive attitudes, and high self-esteem compared to respondents who had not. 

As self-identity is related to one's proactivity toward one's own life, people whose self-identity has not yet been formed can lead to laxity and negativity in life.

Cheung says that as there are more people without a formed self-identity, the situation still needs improvement.

The research team recommends that the government allocate more resources to schools and social welfare organizations to implement activities similar to life planning and strengthen work projects that help young people explore and build their identity.