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

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.