Hong Kong's middle-class families have as little as HK$2,300 a month in disposable income and more than 80 per cent are unhappy with the city's air quality.
Still, two-thirds say they are happy and believe their lives will get better, according to a Citibank poll of 515 people aged 25 to 60 with monthly incomes of more than HK$20,000 or liquid assets of HK$100,000 to HK$1 million.
The bank said the survey also showed many respondents devoted little or no time to personal financial matters. Twenty-four per cent said they spent less than half an hour a day on them.
Weber Lo Wai-pak, Citibank's chief operating officer and director of retail banking, said Hong Kong had about 700,000 people with monthly incomes of more than HK$20,000 and these constituted its major economic force.
'The middle class are optimistic about the future, so they may spend more than they make,' Mr Lo said. They should be aware of their actual financial situation and look into how they managed their expenses, he advised.
Forty-nine per cent work five days a week and 22 per cent six days a week.
