New study says 1.47 million 'poor and deprived' in Hong Kong
Independent study that factors in quality of life says there are 160,000 more needy people in HK than identified in recent government report
About one in five Hongkongers lives a poor and deprived life, struggling to afford three square meals a day and shut out of normal social interaction, a new study reveals.
Said to be more comprehensive than the government's poverty report released in September, the joint study by British and Hong Kong academics paints a bleaker picture of the city's poor.
It takes into account not just income but deprivation, and how some in the city are forced to forgo items and social activities that most people consider customary, said lead researcher Professor David Gordon of the University of Bristol.
Based on that definition, the number of needy people exceeds 1.47 million - about 160,000 more than the government's estimate of 1.31 million announced in September.
"This report tells us a lot more about the poor than the poverty line defined by the [government-appointed] Commission on Poverty," said Professor Nelson Chow Wing-sun of the University of Hong Kong, who did not take part in the study.