In recent years, people in society often lament that upward mobility is difficult. A survey of concerned grassroots youth groups found that more than 40% of people believed that hard work might not change their lives and that of their families, while nearly 70% of citizens agreed with the “determinism of family origin” and that being born into a wealthy family would “win at the starting line”. How to represent successful upward mobility, 69.8% of people think they have professional qualifications. In addition, 30% of adults said that their current life is worse than 5 years ago, and it is expected that their life will be worse in the next 5 years. The group believes that it is related to the continued epidemic, which will affect their livelihood.
Youth New World interviewed 1,135 Hong Kong citizens over the age of 18 in July and found that nearly 70% of them agreed that being born in a wealthy family determines the future development of children, and only 25.9% said they tended not to agree with the teaching. Opinions are divided on “hard work can change your life and your family’s life”, with 44% agreeing and 45.3% disagreeing. Among the respondents who were born in the Mainland (56.1%), the proportion of respondents who were born in the Mainland was higher than that of the respondents who were born in Hong Kong (38.5%). . Chen Jiamin, the volunteer director-general of the group, pointed out that the two places have different definitions of a good life. New arrivals generally have aspirations, while local Hong Kong people are more “Buddhist” because they have experienced the influence of family background on their fortunes since childhood.
As for how to move upward, more than 60 percent of adults agree that more opportunities for upward mobility can be obtained through continuous education. 69.8% of people think that having professional qualifications means successful upward mobility, because it is easier to work in large companies or the government, and their living and income are guaranteed. As for the quality of life, 32.8% believe that it is worse than it was five years ago, and 32.6% expect it to be worse in the next five years. Chen Jiamin believes that the situation is related to the continuation of the epidemic and the failure to clear customs. Many industries such as catering, tourism and transportation have suffered setbacks, which has made citizens’ incomes unstable.
The group suggests that, since many respondents agree that continuous education can go upstream, the government can reform the continuous education fund to guide citizens to improve their academic qualifications, such as covering more courses including data science, artificial intelligence and other innovation and technology industries that meet the needs of the labor market. The group also pointed out that 30 to 39-year-olds are the main taxpayers, but they are also the lowest age group (27.6%) who agrees with “economic development can benefit all citizens”. Therefore, the government can adjust the economic distribution such as the tax system. function, so that citizens feel that economic development can distribute resources fairly, rather than exacerbating the disparity between the rich and the poor.
Originally published on AM730 https://www.am730.com.hk/local/Hard work changes lives with similar support-Nearly 70% agree that family origin determines future development-/333603?utm_source=yahoorss&utm_medium=referral
