Unhappy days: all Hongkongers can help cheer us up
I am writing about the ranking of Hong Kong in the 2016 World Happiness Report, which measures happiness of different countries and cities in order to help make society healthier and more efficient.
Among 158 countries, Hong Kong ranks 75th, which is its lowest position since the first report in 2012. This has obviously prompted some people to ask by the city is so far down the ladder.
First and foremost, the unstable political condition would definitely be one of the contributing factors.
The protest against national education in local schools which was staged in 2012 and the “umbrella movement” in 2014 are the most significant incidents that have happened in recent years that have made some Hongkongers think that it is better for them to migrate to other countries under such unstable political conditions. And because the government tends to ignore the frustrations of citizens instead of listening to them about their problems , many think that the administration’s policies offer little hope to improve their lives.
Without a stable “home”, how could you feel happy? The Happiness Report highlights that many Hongkongers think they can’t be happy in an unstable society.
The second contributing factor is rising inflation in Hong Kong.
The price of daily necessities such as food and housing have increased drastically in recent years (even subdivided flats) and those on low incomes particularly have been hit hard spending more just to survive. It’s a daily pressure that makes people unhappy.
The World Happiness Report could be a wake-up call for Hong Kong ; that it is time for us to truly settle some social problems before it’s too late. I call on citizens from all walks of life to be aware of our society and to take action to create a happier society.
Ella Ng Ka-ki, Tsing Yi
