Jobs, housing main worries for Hong Kong’s needy, annual survey on government finds

Annual rating on the government’s overall performance has declined for a second consecutive year

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Ho Mei-ying, 42, and her family live in a subdivided flat of less than 100 sq ft. Photo: May Tse

Published: 8:37pm, 15 Sep 2024Updated: 12:04am, 16 Sep 2024

Hong Kong’s needy have given the current administration a lower score in an annual survey on its performance in the past year because of employment and housing struggles.

The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) revealed the 5.8 out of 10 poll rating on Sunday as it called for more support for low-income groups in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s coming policy address in mid-October.

The annual rating on the government’s overall performance declined for the second consecutive year, falling from 6.8 in 2022 and 6.4 in 2023.

SoCO deputy director Sze Lai-shan said the public had expected the economy to recover following the end of the Covid-19 pandemic but people had yet to see the results and continued to feel insecure.

“The poverty alleviation projects by the government were on a smaller scale and we barely saw any progress from the policymaking perspective,” she said.

“The government emphasised increasing housing supply, but the first batch of light public housing will only be ready by next year … the Kau Yi Chau artificial islands project will also be postponed due to the financial deficit.”