What stresses Hongkongers the most?

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A majority (88%) of the 2,363 surveyed Hongkongers say they are stressed, which is slightly lower than Taiwan (95%), Korea (95%), Thailand (92%).

Hong Kong still has one of the higher stress levels across all the markets surveyed in recent research, with stress levels cited as "unmanageable" for 14% of respondents as of December 2020.

A majority (88%) of the 2,363 surveyed Hongkongers say they are stressed, which is slightly lower than Taiwan (95%), Korea (95%), Thailand (92%), and China (91%), but continues to be higher than the global average of 86%.

Uncertainty about the future is the key stress driver, with more than half (53%) of respondents attributing this as the cause of their stress in December 2020 (a slight increase from 52% in October 2020).

Personal finance (37%) and fear of contracting COVID-19 (35%) are the other two biggest sources of stress.

Other sources of stress

Only about one in six respondents (15%) say their current financial situation is positive. People continue to feel insecure financially and increasingly pessimistic about their financial situation, with 15% saying they can maintain their current standard of living. Only 12% of people said they have the financial ability to meet their own or their family’s medical needs.

The majority of respondents continue to have a negative outlook on the economic environment and its impact on their financial situation and planning, with only 13% of respondents saying they feel optimistic.

On the bright side, satisfaction regarding workload or working hours of the people in Hong Kong has increased, with more people saying they have a reasonable workload/working hours (up from 30% in October to 35% in December 2020). They said they have also seen an improvement in work-life balance (increased from 39% in October to 42% in December 2020).

However, 74% of respondents are still experiencing ‘always on’ working since October 2020, and workplace stress continues to mount, with 55% saying they have work-related stress in December (increased from 47% in October 2020).

The research also revealed the majority of people prefer financial support from their employer on COVID-19 testing, even though there is a slight drop in this aspect from 72% in October to 68% in December 2020.

The Cigna COVID-19 Global Impact Study surveyed 2,363 respondents from Hong Kong between January and December 2020.

Photo/ RMIT University

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