Happiness level of Hongkongers at decade low, survey finds, as concern group cites Covid ‘post-trauma’
- Online poll in July by HK.WeCARE yields average index score of 5.88 on scale of 10, down from last year’s 6.59
- Researcher says time needed to ‘repair damage caused’, with people ‘rushed to return to normality’
The happiness level of Hongkongers has plunged to a decade low, according to a survey by an advocacy group which suggests residents are struggling with a “post-traumatic situation” in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a July online poll conducted by HK.WeCARE – a concern group under Wofoo Social Enterprises – on more than 1,200 respondents, the average score out of 10 on a general happiness index was 5.88, down from last year’s 6.59.
“Although the pandemic has ended, it takes time to repair the damage that was caused globally,” said Professor Simon Lam Ching, an adviser to the group and associate dean of Tung Wah College’s nursing school.
“There was a lot of tolerance during Covid – people could get seven days of sick leave without producing a certificate, they can work from home if needed, and there were many subsidies to help people survive the hardest times … But all these are gone now, and people are rushed to return to normality, which can be overwhelming and stressful.”
The survey involved 1,283 people and comprised 74 questions on social well-being, satisfaction with external factors, self-rated health and depressive symptoms, among other categories.
More than half of respondents were found to have moderate to severe levels of depressive symptoms, with 10 per cent feeling down, depressed or hopeless almost daily.
The self-rated mental health status of carers was particularly alarming, at only 5.53 out of 10, compared with 6.08 among others.