Research on the Situation and Demands of Hong Kong Youth

Our research team conducted phone surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews to understand and listen to the situation and demands of young people in 2015. We found that young people are concerned about issues that are closely related to their values. Therefore, in addition to their practical needs, we also sought to understand their core values and construct their perspectives on personal, social, political, life, and developmental aspects.

Based on this, we analyzed three prominent issues: housing, education, and integration with the mainland. Regarding housing, our research revealed that high property prices and rents not only affect the living needs and quality of young people but also hinder their development space and life planning. In terms of education, vocational education and the new senior secondary curriculum impose heavy pressure on young people in schools. Some less academically inclined students lose interest in learning, while those who fail to enter government-funded universities feel uncertain about their future. Associate degrees also face discrimination in the workplace. In terms of integration with the mainland, apart from the impact of "individual visit scheme" tourists and parallel traders on daily life, young people also have to face competition from mainlanders in education and the job market. The results showed that respondents generally accepted the economic integration between the two regions more than cultural integration, and they believed that the "individual visit scheme" policy needed adjustment.

The overall observation of this study is that the majority of young people are relatively satisfied with their current situation and prospects for development. Only around 10% expressed dissatisfaction or strong dissatisfaction. However, respondents expressed more dissatisfaction with the social conditions in Hong Kong, with around 30% expressing dissatisfaction or strong dissatisfaction. Their views on the prospects of Hong Kong and the country also tend to be negative. This reflects that the new generation of young people is not satisfied with their personal needs alone. They have a strong concern for social issues and a pursuit of core values such as integrity, freedom, justice, and democracy.

Although young people have different situations and demands, and many of them are dissatisfied with the government, they mostly adopt a positive and rational attitude and approach to participate in solving social problems. This includes striving to learn or work, contributing to society, expressing opinions, making suggestions, running for office, and participating in politics. They still hope that the government will listen to their opinions. Various government consultation channels, including inviting young people to participate in consultative organizations, regular meetings, collecting online opinions, or conducting regular surveys, are considered useful by about half of the respondents.