Nearly half of Hong Kong secondary students ‘lying flat’ or planning to: survey
Despite results of poll of 990 secondary students, youth officer of Young Women’s Christian Association situation may be ‘temporary’
Nearly half of Hong Kong secondary students have said they plan to “lie flat” or are already doing so, according to a recent survey, even as a researcher has urged adults not to be too concerned by youngsters’ lack of motivation.
The poll by the Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association of 990 secondary students from September to November last year aimed to unpack the mentality of young people who opted to lie flat – a term that meant doing the bare minimum to get by.
The association said on Sunday that about 27 per cent of respondents felt they had been lying flat, which the poll defined as “being lazy, not wanting to do homework or socialise, not aiming for good results in their studies, lacking specific targets or interests, having no aspirations for the future, and wanting to live a relaxed life”.
Among those opting to lie flat, about 41 per cent said they had done so for more than a year.
The survey also found another 17 per cent of all respondents indicated they were “planning to lie flat”.
Despite the troubling findings, Kwok Yi-chung, chief officer of youth and community services for the association, said that “most students view lying flat as a temporary status rather than a permanent lifestyle”.
He added that instead of passively feeling hopeless or incapable, students said they were willing to try harder when the right opportunities arose.
