A lot of words have been written reviewing Hong Kong's past decade. Yet, what will Hong Kong become in the next decade? Little has been said about the city's future, especially our younger generation, who will become the pillar of social development. The lack of attention being paid to them suggests that Hong Kong is in danger of becoming a backward-looking city. There have been no thorough studies of whether they are prepared and equipped for the challenges ahead, or what their visions are of the future.
In contrast, a nationwide poll of young Americans has been conducted recently. It found that many have a bleak view of their future and of the direction in which the United States is heading. In politics, they tend to lean towards the left.
Sophisticated and comprehensive polls of our youth could serve as parameters for policy-making, not only for youth policy, but also for taxation policy, developmental strategies and the direction for political change.
Numerous signs have emerged to suggest that our younger generation is a cause for concern. This year's A-level exam results, released last week, are one.
The English pass rate has dropped in three consecutive years, to a 12-year low, although the percentage of students who passed Chinese remained static. This deterioration in English language skills, without a significant improvement in Chinese, poses a question on the competitiveness of the city's youth in an era of rapid globalisation and regionalisation.
Our young people are pessimistic about the future. Among the undergraduate students I have taught, many believe that they are unlikely to achieve the kind of upward social mobility their parents had in the 1970s and 1980s. Competition from their mainland peers and diminishing opportunities resulting from economic restructuring have dented their hopes for a promising career.