Lingnan University survey: Hong Kong people second happiest in seven years

Despite their dissatisfaction with the overall administration of public policy, the quality of public healthcare services, and other social problems, Hong Kong people are generally happier than last year, with the happiness index reaching 71.3, the second highest since 2005, the latest Hong Kong Happiness Index Survey reveals.

Young people aged below 30 scored 71.5, the highest happiness index since the survey started in 2005, with the index almost matching that of the older group. Among all age groups, the youth also find the statement “It is very meaningful to live in this world” most agreeable. Females reported a record-high happiness index of 73.6, which is far above the males’ at 67.9.

Four key determinants of happiness, namely Love, Insight, Fortitude and Engagement (LIFE) were also surveyed. This year the scores for Love and Insight have slipped, Fortitude remained unchanged and Engagement soared (Please see Table 1 in Appendix). Engagement means having clear objectives in life and seizing opportunities to learn and fully utilise one’s competences. It is also encouraging to see that the LIFE scores of the younger generation (those aged 21-29) have been rising steadily over the past four years (Please see Table 2 in Appendix).

Designed and conducted by the Centre for Public Policy Studies of Lingnan University, the Hong Kong Happiness Index Survey 2011 is the seventh of its kind. A total of 821 respondents aged 21 or above were interviewed by telephone through random sampling on 14-19 November.

Dissatisfaction with the quality of public policy prevalent across all age groups

Respondents to the survey are generally dissatisfied with the administration of public policy in Hong Kong. All age groups have relatively low satisfaction on a scale of 0-10 (0-4 represents dissatisfaction while 6-10 denotes satisfaction). The highest reading came from those aged 50 or above, and it was a mere 5.01. Satisfaction levels of those aged 30-49 and below 30 read at 4.43 and 4.52 respectively.

The survey also shows that the better educated the respondents are, the lower tends to be their satisfaction with the quality of public policy. However, university degree holders are somewhat more satisfied than those who only attained non-degree post-secondary education.

Mixed attitude towards cash handout

Hong Kong residents seem to have mixed feelings about the “Scheme $6000” cash handout programme. While most respondents would be happy if the cash rebates were made recurrent every year, nearly 80% of the respondents said they would rather see the billions of dollars involved to be spent on improving public healthcare services.

Satisfaction with healthcare services at a low level

According to the survey results, Hong Kong people are not quite satisfied with the quality of healthcare services in Hong Kong. On a scale from 0 to 10, and 6 being barely satisfied, their ratings for private and public healthcare services stand at 5.75 and 5.67 respectively. This appears to be much lower than ratings in 1996.

When asked about their views on the proposed voluntary healthcare insurance programme, which will cost HK$50 billion from public coffers in addition to private contributions, the respondents showed limited support. About 54% said they would rather see the funds to be allocated for enhancing public healthcare services.