What happens after you die? Four in five Hongkongers say they’ve made no funeral plans despite thinking it’s important
Almost 80 per cent of Hongkongers believe it is important to plan ahead for their funerals but only 20 per cent have done anything about it, a survey said.
Almost 80 per cent of Hongkongers believe it is important to plan ahead for their funerals but only 20 per cent have done anything about it, a survey said.
“Both the elderly and the younger generation feel reluctant to broach the subject of death,” said Sally Sin Fung-yee, a social worker for the Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service, which carried out the study.
“Many of the elderly told me they didn’t know how to bring up the subject with their kids and younger people felt that talking about death with the elderly would make them unhappy.”
Some 1,047 people both under and over the age of 60 answered questionnaires distributed by the NGO from March to September at its centre and online.
The majority had not written a will or started planning what kind of funeral service they wanted or where it should be held.
Death is a taboo subject in Chinese culture and puts the burden on family members who are often at a loss after the death of a loved one, such as deciding whether to opt for cremation or burial, and even who to invite to the funeral.