Mental wellbeing takes over financial wellbeing to become the most important factor affecting public’s wellness in HK, Macau and other GBA cities

Hong Kong’s workplace stress tops the region
1 in 4 working class suffer from mental health issues
Mental health support at workplace is seriously insufficient

AXA Wellness Index survey^[1] measures six dimensions that affect the public’s overall wellness, namely, Physical Wellbeing, Mental Wellbeing, Financial Wellbeing, Social Wellbeing, Fulfilment, and Meaning and Value, as well as 30 elements under these dimensions, to better understand the wellness needs and sentiments of Hong Kong, Macau and mainland GBA populations. The 2020 survey was conducted online between 3 to 20 July 2020, covering 2,100 respondents from Hong Kong, Macau and GBA. Among which, there were 1,000 Hong Kong residents aged 18-60 with monthly personal income of at least HKD15,000 or liquid assets of HKD200,000 or more.

“Mental Wellbeing” is the most important wellness dimension across regions

Hong Kong scored 56 points (out of 100) in the 2020 “AXA Wellness Index”, 3 points lower than in 2019; and 9 points and 18 points lower compared to Macau and GBA respectively, showing Hong Kong’s quality of life has declined and was the lowest in the region. “Mental Wellbeing”, which was considered the 3^rd or 4^thimportant wellness dimension last year, has become the most important one across regions. In contrast, “Financial Wellbeing,” which ranked 2^nd across the region in the past, has diminished its importance this year (Hong Kong: 3^rd place; Macau: 5th place; GBA: 5th place).

Hong Kong valued “Happiness” the most under the pandemic

Among the 30 elements under the six wellness dimensions, “Happiness”, an element of “Mental Wellbeing”, has become much more important than before in the whole region.For example, in Hong Kong, “Happiness” leapt forward by eight places and became the most crucial wellness element; whilst the importance of “Financial Wellbeing” related elements diminished (Able to accumulate wealth: 12thplace; Ownership of property: 17th place; Able to pass on wealth to next generation: 30th place). The change might be attributed to the low satisfaction level of Hong Kong respondents with their “Financial Wellbeing” (Hong Kong: 53 points; Macau: 60 points; GBA: 71 points) and their sense of helplessness in wealth accumulation (Having enough savings for retirement: Hong Kong: 48 points; Macau: 60 points; GBA: 70 points).

Stress is a key issue in the whole region; Hong Kong is the least equipped to manage stress

Respondents felt mid-high level of stress in the past six months (Hong Kong: 84%; Macau: 81%; GBA: 67%), with work or education being the key sources of stress (Hong Kong: 65%; Macau: 58%; GBA: 73%). However, in stress management, Hong Kong is not doing well when compared to Macau and GBA. When facing stress, nearly 20% of Hong Kong respondents would resort to negative actions such as drinking or smoking, while almost 10% would do nothing about it.

Workplace stress is highest in Hong Kong, but only 27% working class found enough support from employers

Nearly half (47%) of the working class in Hong Kong have experienced a high degree of pressure in the past six months, much higher than Macau (24%) and GBA (38%) and almost 1 in 4 claimed that they were suffering from mental health issues. Yet, nearly 40% said they had experience of going to work as usual despite stress/ mental health problems or were not willing to discuss mental health/ stress problems with supervisors/employers due to the fear of affecting promotion, the 80s-00s age groups are especially prone to doing so.

Compared to Macau (55%) and GBA (54%), only 27% of Hong Kong workers claimed workplace support on mental health was enough. Those who considered they got sufficient mental support from work were mostly mid-high income individuals (with monthly personal income of HKD30,000 or above), whereas those with monthly personal income of HKD20,000 or below, only less than 20% of them felt there was adequate support at workplace. 

Technology brings a multitude of concerns for the working class

With remote working becoming the norm, the application of technology at work has become even wider. Though technology has facilitated work, over half of the working class in Hong Kong said technology has created new worries, such as “Communication technology makes me never shut down from work” (35%), “Worried that my work will be replaceable by technology” (26%) and “Pressure from co-workers, as I’m not as tech-savvy as they are” (22%). Technology might also cause more stress because it could lengthen the working hours. 23% of the respondents said they experienced stress because of long working hours or workload in the past six months.