HKU Hong Kong General Social Survey (HKGSS) Press Conference organised by The University of Hong Kong (HKU) Faculty of Social Sciences Research Hub of Population Studies: (from left) Mr. Kenny Shui, Vice President of Our Hong Kong Foundation and Executive Director of Public Policy Institute; Mr. Raymond K.S. Kwok, Representative of the Kwok Yat Wai Charitable Fund; Professor Ming Wen, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU; Professor Eric W.C. Fong, Director of the HKU Research Hub of Population Studies; and Professor Vivian W.Q. Lou, Director of the HKU Sau Po Centre on Ageing and Associate Director of the HKU Research Hub of Population Studies.
Organised by The University of Hong Kong (HKU) Faculty of Social Sciences Research Hub of Population Studies ("Hub"), the press conference unveiling the first Hong Kong General Social Survey (HKGSS) was held on January 28, 2026 (Wednesday). Administered by the Hub, HKGSS, as a large-scale, society survey, aims to build a representative, continuous, and internationally comparable evidence base for studying Hong Kong society. Funded by the Kwok Yat Wai Charitable Fund, HKGSS systemically collects high-quality data on Hong Kong residents' attitudes and behaviours across social, economic, political, and cultural domains.
The survey was commissioned to Social Policy Research Limited. Utilising data from the Census and Statistics Department, a stratified probability sampling design was employed to create a representative sample of adult residents aged 18 to 60. One eligible individual was randomly selected from each selected household across all 17 districts of Hong Kong (excluding Islands) for face-to-face, in-home interviews. The survey was conducted between September 2024 and March 2025, receiving a total of 4,051 valid responses. By constructing sampling weight, the resulting samples were adjusted to match in terms of sex, age, district, educational attainment, and economic activity status according to the 2021 Population Census, thereby representing the overall population aged 18 to 60 in Hong Kong. HKGSS provides detailed information to enhance understanding of Hong Kong.
In her welcoming speech, Professor Ming Wen, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at HKU, stated, "The HKGSS helps reveal the latest trends related to social and demographic landscape in Hong Kong, provides detailed information to enhance understanding of Hong Kong, promotes interdisciplinary research, and leverages Hong Kong's academic excellence to contribute to social sciences internationally."
Mr Raymond K.S. Kwok, representing the Kwok Yat Wai Charitable Fund, mentioned in his address, "We are honoured to be the main sponsor of the survey. We hope that our support will foster local research into social and demographic issues, furthering our understanding of the Hong Kong community, generating new insights, and inspiring innovative ideas to jointly build a better future.
During the press conference, four key research findings were presented by Professor Eric W.C. Fong, Director of the HKU Research Hub of Population Studies:
- Housing-Ownership Inequality: Inequality in Hong Kong is significantly higher when considering property value compared to income.
- Emigration Intentions: Recent emigration intentions are lower than those reported in 2021.
- Family Income and Property Ownership: Higher family income is associated with an increased likelihood of owning a home. Additionally, families owning multiple properties are more likely to hold properties within Hong Kong.
- Public Concerns Across Demographic Groups: The top six issues of concern among Hong Kong residents are predominantly economic. These are high housing prices, inflation, persistent poverty, and unemployment.
Additionally, Professor Vivian W.Q. Lou, Director of HKU Sau Po Centre on Ageing and Associate Director of HKU Research Hub of Population Studies, shared three major research findings related to fertility, caregiving, health and well-being:
- Employment Structure, Work Intensity, and Health:
- Full-time employment is the dominant employment status in Hong Kong. Men (77.1%) and those aged 25 to 49 (≥71.7%) have the highest proportions of full-time employment.
- Full-time workers work on average 46 hours or more per week, with high work intensity across age groups.
- Most non-employed individuals are women, who also bear most housework responsibilities.
- Among all employment statuses, the non-employed have worse self-rated health, lower happiness, and higher depression.
- Fertility and Subjective Well-being:
- The actual number of children increases with age. The ideal number of children among those aged 30 to 60 is significantly higher than among those aged 18 to 29.
- Among those with children, the gap between fertility intentions and behaviour narrows as age increases, but overall fertility intentions have not yet been fully realised in actual fertility behaviour.
- Compared to those without children, people with children have higher happiness and lower depression.
- Family Caregiving, Aging, and Subjective Well-being:
- About two-thirds of respondents report no family caregiving needs; among caregivers, responsibilities mainly concentrate on childcare.
- Population aging remains a major social challenge, and caring for disabled elderly may bring negative impact on individuals' physical and mental health.
Lastly, Mr. Kenny Shui, Vice President of Our Hong Kong Foundation and Executive Director of Public Policy Institute, provided policy-perspective insights and analysis on the findings.
About the HKU Research Hub of Population Studies
Launched by the Faculty of Social Sciences at The University of Hong Kong, HKU Research Hub of Population Studies ("Hub") aims to provide an understanding of local, national, regional, and international demographic patterns. The Hub focuses on multi-disciplinary research concerning various population-related issues and public policy. For details about the Hub, please visit: https://www.socsc.hku.hk/rhps/.
