Happiness index drops to 10-year low, survey finds

Eunice Lam

Almost a quarter of Hongkongers said they are unhappy, as this year's happiness index dropped to a 10-year low, according to a survey.

HK.WeCARE, by Wofoo Social Enterprises, asked 1,283 people between July 18 and 23, about their level of happiness and found this year's happiness index was 5.88 out of 10, which was 0.71 point lower than last year's 6.59, the lowest since 2013.

The survey comprised 74 questions on social well-being satisfaction with external factors, self-rated health and depressive symptoms, among other categories.

It found 24 percent of respondents considered themselves "unhappy," up 10 percent over last year.

More than half of the respondents experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms, and over 30 percent are severely depressed. It means at least 80 percent are depressed, which is alarming.

About 30 percent are dissatisfied with their mental health, up 13 percentage points from last year.

Simon Lam Ching, an adviser to the group and associate dean of Tung Wah College's nursing school, said it takes time for society to recover from the Covid pandemic.

"There was a lot of tolerance during Covid. People could get seven days of sick leave without producing a certificate, they could work from home if needed and there were many subsidies to help people survive the hardest times But all these are gone now, and people rushed to return to normality, which can be overwhelming and stressful," Lam said.

The survey also found respondents were dissatisfied with the SAR's political and social condition.

They were found to be mostly unhappy with administrative policies and the sociopolitical situation, scoring 4.19, down from last year's 4.69.

Lam explained the score under the politics and society category has remained low for years.

"Hongkongers often hold harsh standards of our government, and we see this as a factor leading to a lower score in terms of political and social condition," Lam said.

Carers were seen significantly unhappy, as the happiness score for people taking care of the elderly and children with chronic illness or special needs was only 5.41, 0.47 point lower than the mean score of 5.88.

Social welfare constituency lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen called on the administration to offer more financial support to carers and enhance community support services.

"We are happy to see that recently the government paid attention to the carers in society, but the quotas for support are way too little when compared to tens of thousands of these people in Hong Kong," he said.

He added that the emigration wave in recent years has led to a phenomenon of elderly or disabled people looking after each other, which could lead to an increase in high-risk families.

"There is still a lack of government-led community support service. Instead, there are only some non-governmental organizations spontaneously offering these services with their own resources."

Tik suggested authorities should first resolve social conflicts instead of placing resources to boost the economy.

"I hope the government can listen to opinions of people from different sectors and try to reach a consensus among various parties. That would be helpful in fostering a healthy social atmosphere and improve people's mental health," he said. "Good mental health is also crucial to productivity at work It would be great if companies could devise more carer-friendly policies, such as more leaves and flexible hours."

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com