Family happiness in Hong Kong has improved for the first time in three years but not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with mental health experts calling for the government to develop family policies using Singapore as a model.
Families with children aged between six and 12 were the least happy, which could be attributed to stressful environments in primary schools, according to mental health experts.
“There may be two reasons for the rise in the index. First, it is that the economy is picking up. Another reason is that families are gradually adapting to the post-pandemic [environment],” Daniel Shek Tan-Lei, associate vice-president of Polytechnic University, said.
Shek, a former chairman of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau’s Family Council, noted the need for better family policies in Hong Kong and mentioned Singapore as a model.
“In Singapore, they have the Ministry of Social and Family Development. I think they are smart, because they know that when families aren’t doing well, society is not going to do well also,” he said.
The research, carried out annually and done in March this year, collected 1,117 questionnaires comprising 76 questions, through online and face-to-face interviews. About 66.8 per cent of respondents reported a rating of seven and above in the overall family happiness score, compared with 55.7 per cent last year.
