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The Centre for Quality of Life at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) released the latest MTR-CUHK Youth Quality of Life Index today (1 September 2016).  The result indicates that the overall quality of life of youth in Hong Kong has slightly declined in 2015/16 as compared with the corresponding period last year.

 The Index consists of 28 indicators that are grouped into 8 domains: Physical Health, Psychological Well-being, Society, Economics, Education, Politics, Living Environment, and Overall Well-being (Appendix 1). The indicators are selected according to their coverage, measurability, representativeness, and importance to the quality of life of youth in Hong Kong.

2012/13 is the base year of the study, and the MTR-CUHK Youth Quality of Life Index for that year was set at 100. If the Index of a subsequent year is above 100, it indicates that the quality of life of youth in Hong Kong in that year is better than that of the base year. If the index is below 100, it reveals that the quality of life of youth in Hong Kong in that year is worse than that of the base year. If the Index is 100, it indicates that the youth’s quality of life in that year is the same as that of 2012/13. 

According to the latest MTR-CUHK Youth Quality of Life Index, the overall score in 2015/16 is 99.68, a decrease of 0.62 points from the revised figure of 100.30 in 2014/15 (the figure of 2014/15 has been revised downwards from 100.65, based on updated governmental statistics issued since the 2014/15 index was published) and an decrease of 0.32 points from 2012/2013, indicating that there has been a drop in the quality of life of youth in Hong Kong (Appendix 2). 

The latest index shows the domains of Physical Health, Psychological Well-being, Education, and Living Environment have improved, while the domains of Society, Economics, Politics, and Overall Well-being have declined (Appendix 2). 

Compared with last year’s figures, 14 out of the 28 indicators have improved (Appendix 3), among which the ‘participation rate in UGC tertiary programs’ was the most noticeable. Other indicators like ‘exercise participation’, ‘rest’, ‘mental health’ and ‘environmental quality’ have also improved in the past 12 months. 

13 out of the 28 indicators have worsened (Appendix 4), among which ‘youth unemployment’ was the most noticeable. Other indicators, such as ‘youth crime rate’, ‘social services participation’, ‘satisfaction with youth policy’ and ‘perceived impact on policy’ have also become less desirable in 2015/16. 

Noteworthy is that ‘government performance evaluation’ has improved, while ‘satisfaction with youth policy’, ‘perceived impact on policy’ and ‘rule of law’, which are also under domain of Politics, have worsened compared with last year. ‘Social services participation’ in 2015/16 has declined for the first time since the survey was launched. Improvements in ‘exercise participation’ as well as ‘rest’ were observed for the first time when compared to the previous year. 

The compilation of the Index is sponsored by the MTR Corporation as part of its ongoing commitment to foster the development of the younger generation to meet future challenges. The Index is the only composite index to measure and keep track of the quality of life of youth in Hong Kong. Both the MTR Corporation and the Centre for Quality of Life, CUHK believe that the Index can provide policy makers and the community with a useful reference tool to devise appropriate policies and programmes for the betterment of youth and the society at large. It also enhances public understanding of issues that may affect quality of life of youth in Hong Kong.

For more information on the MTR-CUHK Youth Quality of Life Index, please visit The Centre for Quality of Life website: http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/hkiaps/qol/en/youth.html.