Hong Kong has seen a slight upward trend in regards to "youth pessimism" with more than 30 percent of youngsters reporting a negative outlook in life.
The latest Youth Value Indicators survey - the 21st edition since its debut in 1997 by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups' Youth Research Centre - interviewed 522 respondents aged 15 to 39 between November 13 and December 8, 2023.
When asked if they "feel like no one can help" when encountering difficulties - the question that appears in the survey for the first time - 33.6 percent of the respondents agreed with the statement.
The federation added that this reflected "the continued need for society-wide attention and support for youth mental health."The same survey also found rising youth confidence in their abilities and search for opportunities elsewhere.
"Compared to previous surveys, respondents showed growing confidence in self-abilities, particularly biliteracy, trilingualism and creativity," the federation said, adding that the respondents' confidence levels in the English language and Putonghua rose to 61.2 percent and 57.7 percent, respectively."Moreover, 60.7 percent considered themselves creative, demonstrating an upward trend since 2018," it said.
In the latest survey, more than 40 percent of youngsters expressed interest in developing their careers in the mainland in 2023, higher than the 29 percent in 2022.The proportion of those wishing to work overseas also increased from 62.5 percent to 71.1 percent.
The survey also revealed a significant improvement in youths' perception of society, with the respondents' satisfaction with public safety seeing rises, as did their confidence in government integrity and the rule of law.But there is a decline in their awareness of national and global issues.
The federation is the city's largest youth service organization. It was established in 1960.
