HK Ranks Last in Latest Asia-Pacific Region’s Happiness Index Survey

Members of the public in Hong Kong, on Nov. 7, 2022. (Big Mack/The Epoch Times)

Two surveys of Hongkonger happiness have been released in the last month. Market research consultants, Votee conducted a survey of seven Asia regions over the last year asking people for their happiness rating, and the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (HKPORI) undertook a poll in early November 2022 and released the results in December.

Votee Study

In its study, Votee Ltd. found that Hong Kong’s happiness index in the past year has been lagging behind neighboring regions. With a perfect score being ten, Hong Kong’s overall happiness index averaged only 5.6 and ranked last among its peers in the Asia-Pacific region. The Hong Kong index reached a low point of 5.33 in October 2022, but with the opening-up measures it improved to 6.11 in December.

Votee’s survey was conducted from October 2021 to December 2022, totaling 17,975 samples. Hong Kong’s scores from November 2021 to April 2022 were sluggish, hovering around an average of 5.38. The index increased to 5.67 in May 2022 when social distancing measures were relaxed, but there was a steady decline until October 2022 when the index hit its lowest point of 5.33. When social distancing measures were about to be fully relaxed in November 2022, it reached the highest score at 6.12.

However, the overall happiness index of Hong Kong in the past year is still way below that of other Asia-Pacific regions. Thailand ranked first with a score of 7.62, followed by the Philippines at 7.59, Indonesia at 7.45, and Taiwan, ranked 6th with a score of 6.17, which is one place above Hong Kong.

Talk of  Universal Compulsory Testing and Tightening Restrictions Contributed to Negative Mood

Looking back at the period when Hong Kong’s score was sluggish, that is, from November 2021 to April 2022, it coincided with the government’s tightening of its pandemic prevention restrictions, and it was at the peak of the 5th wave too. The government stipulated that starting from Nov. 1, 2021, all government employees, and citizens, except those exempted, had to scan the QR code of the venue with the “LeaveHomeSafe” mobile app before they are allowed to enter government buildings and office premises. This approach ran counter to the government’s earlier statement that it would not force citizens to install the said app. Some citizens were dissatisfied at the time as privacy concerns such as the app’s tracking of citizens’ movements had not been resolved. At the same time, there were also practical issues such as the elderly not knowing how to use the app, or the homeless population not possessing mobile phones.

Since December 2021, the government had repeatedly tightened and extended anti-pandemic measures several times. In early February 2022, the government even restricted cross-family gatherings and introduced the Vaccine Pass, which came into effect on Feb. 24, 2022. The government tightened and relaxed the Vaccine Pass rules at different times. At its strictest, people who had not taken any injections were not allowed to dine in restaurants; all had to show their Vaccine Pass when entering schools, places of worship, supermarkets, fresh food markets, shopping malls, department stores, barbershops, fitness centers, cinemas and theaters, beauty salons, and the like.

At the end of February 2021, the government announced in March that it might implement mandatory testing for all citizens. Sophia Chan Siu-chee, the then Secretary of the Food and Health Bureau, said that she had not completely ruled out  “imposing lockdown,” which triggered a wave of panic buying in supermarkets and fresh food markets in various districts when food and daily necessities were cleared from the shelves. There were also rumors that the government would despatch riot police to guard the locations of the mandatory testing, primarily for escorting patients and sealing off inspection locations to prevent people from leaving before the check started.

That was also the same time Hong Kong entered the peak of the 5th wave of the pandemic. The medical system was overwhelmed, and the emergency wards were crowded with patients. Many hospitals even needed to set up makeshift isolation areas outdoors where patients had to wait amidst the open chilly wind. The number of deaths also increased sharply with the hospital mortuary full, and body bags containing the deceased were placed on the floor of the emergency ward next to other patients.

Happiness Index Rise Coincides with Relaxation of Pandemic Restrictions

By the end of March, the government announced the suspension of mandatory checks for all citizens. In April, it started giving out the first round of electronic consumer coupons and announced revising a new round of employment protection plans. From Apr. 21, the government relaxed the restriction on gatherings to four people and allowed evening dining to return. All the above relaxations helped the happiness index to increase in May, but this was only a temporary improvement as further restrictions took hold. The index then declined through to October.

In November 2022, the highest score was recorded at the same time as hotel quarantine was dropped for incoming travelers on Sep. 26 in favour of three days of self-isolation. Since then, many Hong Kong people have traveled abroad, and the social distancing measures were relaxed further on Oct. 20. At that time, the upper limit of people allowed at gatherings was increased from four to 12, and live performances and dancing activities in catering sites, bars/pubs, night spots/nightclubs, cinemas, museums, clubhouses/hotels, meeting rooms in hostels/multi-purpose rooms of hotels were allowed.

HKPORI Evaluated Hongkongers’ Happiness Level in Ten Areas

The survey by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (HKPORI) undertaken in early November 2022, found that the ratio of feeling happy, or unhappy among Hongkongers was close to 1:1; however, the situation was said to have improved significantly compared to three years ago. But the survey showed that Hong Kong people feel that they have lost many political rights, they cannot live in peace, and their lives are not free from worries.

The HKPORI survey evaluated ten “Social Well-being Indicators” including happiness and personal safety; enjoyment of personal freedom; opportunities for suitable employment; freedom from fear; protection of disadvantaged groups; fairness and justice in judicial proceedings; the happiness of children; political rights; living in peace; and living a carefree life.

The poll was conducted in early November 2022, and the results were released in December. A random sample of 1,001 Hong Kong residents aged 18 or above were interviewed by telephone. The result showed that Hongkongers felt personal safety was the most satisfactory at 6.68 points. In addition, citizens showed a positive belief that Hong Kong people enjoy personal freedom, have suitable personal freedom, employment opportunities, freedom from fear, protection of disadvantaged groups, fairness of justicial proceedings, and children’s happiness. The scores for these were 5.89, 5.60, 5.24, 5.21, 5.16, and 5.02 respectively.

However, the last three social well-being indicators: political rights, housing well-being (living in peace), and living without worries, recorded less than five points, showing that the public’s evaluation is negative, with only 4.61, 4.46, and 4.23 points respectively, which means that Hong Kong people think they have lost a lot of political rights and they cannot live in peace. But compared with half a year ago, all these indicators did record a significant increase. Also, according to the Votee study sentiment improved further in November 2022.

Current affairs commentator, Derek Yuen Mi-chang, said that Hong Kong people are happier than in previous years because individuals are slowly “recovering themselves” from politics and the pandemic. It is estimated that with the passing of the pandemic, they have expectations for future life, but there are still hidden worries that the world is facing the possibility of an economic recession and geopolitical crisis.