What constitutes a happy family? It's a question that every generation struggles with. Maybe an answer is in sight: the recently launched Joyful Family Nurturing Centre hopes to find some clues to fostering contentment in the home.
"The number of single-parent, cross-border or weekend-parent families is increasing. Each type of family faces unique problems. We want to study what causes the trend and what measures can be taken to help those families," says Wan Wai-lan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong Central Youth Service, which set up the centre in October.
"The traditional family system is crumbling," Wan adds. "Kids growing up with the digital revolution often lack respect for their elders. At the same time, parents face growing work pressure and devote less time to their kids. They are more concerned about youngsters' academic achievement than their emotional well-being."
The centre aims to help promote the culture of family by, for example, offering courses on how to raise happy children.
A recent survey of families from different socio-economic backgrounds by the centre found that low-income families were happier than high-income ones.
Lee Man Yuk-ching, an assistant professor at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, says low-income families tend to be more satisfied with life and have more time to communicate with each other.