Hong Kong pupils’ happiness drops for first time in 4 years, with researchers pointing to strict Covid rules and rising study stress
- According to latest happiness index by Lingnan University, pupils from Primary Four to Form Three have an average rating of 6.77 on a scale between zero and 10
- ‘Pressure from study is tremendous and many students cannot catch up with the curriculum,’ says academic who led study
According to the latest happiness index released on Tuesday by Lingnan University, students from Primary Four to Form Three had an average rating of 6.77 on a scale between zero and 10, decreasing from 6.85 in 2020-21, and 6.81 in 2018-19. The research was suspended in 2019-20 because of the pandemic.
The annual survey, conducted since 2012, had the highest score in 2013-14, at 7.23. Although the number fell to 6.52 in 2015-16, indexes since 2017-18 had shown a steady increase with students’ happiness.
The university’s Professor Ho Lok-sang, who conducted the study, suggested the slight drop this year was due to the effects of rising study pressure.
“The pressure from study is tremendous and many students cannot catch up with the [school’s] curriculum,” said Ho, director of the Pan Sutong Shanghai-Hong Kong Economic Policy Research Institute.
“[Being able to understand] the curriculum and finding it [interesting] is of tremendous importance to children’s happiness.”
The study – which collected responses from 1,989 primary and 1,504 secondary pupils from 25 schools between March and August – found that 36 per cent of the students suffered stress from studies, while about 15 per cent reported having pressure from taking part in extracurricular activities.
01:57
Inbound travellers to Hong Kong excited about end to hotel quarantine after 2 years