60% of Hong Kong families report high score in happiness survey

About 58 per cent of respondents gave a score of between seven and 10, suggesting they had a positive relationship with their families.

They included those with a monthly household income of HK$60,000 (US$7,680) or above and who had received a tertiary-level education.

Women and those aged 55 and above also reported a higher score.

But researchers found money was not the sole factor behind family happiness, as caring and attentive interactions among members also played a role.

“It actually doesn’t take that much time or money to achieve a good familial relationship,” said one of the researchers, Professor Kelvin Wang Man-ping. “Simply having fun with them, praising them and accompanying them is enough.”

Wang is an assistant dean of professional development in health sciences at the faculty of medicine at the University of Hong Kong, which is a partner of the Jockey Club’s project.

The poll found that among those who reported a high score, most of them praised, had fun with and engaged in quality communication with family members, including spending more time talking face to face.

“Surprisingly, buying gifts and giving money to family members does not constitute an increase in the score,” Wang said. “Instead, enough time needs to be allocated towards fostering quality communication time with family members.”

But he said that apart from improving communication with family members through direct interaction, people could employ technology to strengthen ties.

“After the pandemic, the public became more well versed and reliant on technology in order to sustain social relationships with others around us,” he said.

Yiu Sin-ming, a frontline social worker from International Social Service, another project partner, said researchers had found that organising activities through online platforms could facilitate participation among family members during the pandemic when outdoor activities were restricted.

Some NGOs had organised online family bonding activities during the health crisis through the Jockey Club’s project.

Yiu said such activities could still strengthen family ties in the post-pandemic era because parents and their children, who had resumed full-day classes, could take part in online bonding events on their own time.

The poll found 40 per cent of respondents said they preferred joining online activities to improve family relationships compared to face-to-face events because of the flexible hours.

In March, HK.WeCARE, a concern group under Wofoo Social Enterprises and the Lee Kum Kee Family Foundation reported on the results of its survey and found family happiness had dropped to a six-year low with post-coronavirus stress still affecting people’s well-being.

About 55.7 per cent of the 1,316 respondents reported a rating of seven and above in the family happiness index, a drop of 5 percentage points on last year.