Hong Kong respondents feel the most stressed compared to their global and APAC counterparts

Two-thirds (66%) of people in the city wish for more support from their employers to lead a healthier life.

Life may have returned to normalcy, Hong Kong, however, continues to be plagued by high stress and burnout levels, with 87% of Hong Kong respondents experiencing stress, higher than the global average of 80% and the APAC average of 84%, according to Cigna Healthcare’s latest Vitality Study 2023.

The burnout rate in Hong Kong remains the highest in APAC post-pandemic, with 96% reporting at least one burnout symptom over the past year, such as:

• feeling drained,
• helpless or defeated,
• overwhelmed,
• having a negative outlook.

The study surveyed 1,008 people in Hong Kong regarding their social, occupational, financial, intellectual, physical, spiritual, emotional, and environmental wellbeing, whereby only 5% of respondents in Hong Kong reported high levels of vitality, compared to 17% globally.

The proportion of high-vitality individuals in Hong Kong has halved since January this year, with the average vitality score falling by over three points (from 63.5 to 60.4), significantly lower than the global average (68.0) by more than 10% and the lowest among surveyed markets in APAC and across the globe.

A key factor leading to the low levels of vitality is the poor state of Hongkongers’ emotional and mental health. Those with low vitality also tend to be more stressed (nine in 10) compared to those with high vitality (seven in 10).

The top stressors for Hongkongers are:

Facing the ongoing uncertainties and fears about the future, the report suggested that employers should play a role in providing employees with support and stability. Close to three in four (72%) respondents in Hong Kong expressed that inflation is making it too expensive to stay healthy, while 66% said that they wish they had more support from employers to lead a healthier life.

"Employers can help by having workplace seminars on how employees can manage stress and burnout, and the importance of quality sleep, diet and exercise," said Jonathan Spiers, Chief Executive Officer of Cigna Healthcare Hong Kong.

The most desired health and wellbeing support employees want from their employers are:

The Cigna Healthcare Vitality Study 2023 surveyed 10,800 respondents in the US, UK, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Kenya, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, China, Singapore, and the Hong Kong SAR between May and June 2023. Based on the Evernorth Vitality Index, an individual-level indicator of whole-person health that was developed by Cigna Healthcare in partnership with a leading psychologist. Individuals with vitality scores 87 to 100 are classified as high vitality, whereas people scoring 0 to 47 are classified as low vitality

Lead image / 123RF

All infographics / Cigna Healthcare’s latest Vitality Study 2023