I. About the Research
Between 2017 and 2019, the Faculty of Social Sciences at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) launched a city-wide research project to understand how social capital and city infrastructure affect the upward mobility outcomes of local, new arrivals and ethnic minority young adults between 17 and 23 years old. The study, involving over 1,900 youth, was administered via telephone survey, online survey and self-administered questionnaires. Qualitative interviews were conducted to obtain an in-depth understanding of youth's access to resources.
This research project was supported by the HKBU Strategic Development Fund [Project code: SDF16-0603-P01] and Faculty of Social Sciences with project members:
- Prof. Adrian J. BAILEY, Faculty of Social Sciences (PI)
- Dr. Angel LAI, Department of Social Work (Co-PI)
- Dr. Lachlan B. BARBER, Department of Geography (Co-I)
- Dr. Edmund CHENG, Department of Government and International Studies (Co-I)
- Dr. K.K. FUNG, Department of Social Work (Co-I)
- Dr. Ava LAU, Department of Social Work (Co-I)
- Dr. Carman LEUNG, Department of Sport and Physical Education (Co-I)
- Ms. Channey CHAN, Centre for the Advancement of Social Sciences
- Mr. William LAM, Centre for the Advancement of Social Sciences
II. Research Background
Social Mobility and Social Capital in Hong Kong Emerging Adults The rationale for looking at social capital can be traced back to public's sentiment towards the political issues in Hong Kong. Many speculate that the anger among the youth originates from their sense of unfairness and mistrust to the society and government. The society is very much different from the baby boomers era, where the American Dream is actualisable: As long as you work hard enough, you will have a good life. However, due to the growing income disparity in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) economy and rising cost of living, emerging adults with tertiary education qualification struggles to move up the social ladder . For emerging adults from low income families with a university qualification, they have worked hard enough to attain academically, yet, the reality does not offer as much opportunity. The gap between their expectations and their outcomes can be so large that it may result in low levels of social capital, defined as feelings of unfairness and mistrust in the society and government.
Rationale Our project advances knowledge through its use of a blended research design, combining a range of qualitative, quantitative, and large scale secondary data sets. Many studies on youth development aim at evaluating a designated intervention (e.g. Child Development Fund), and few target at uncovering the intricate relationships between the macro-micro environments and the effects of these interactions on the outcomes of youth . To fill the gap, we propose a city-wide study that will capture the effects of childhood poverty, including the multilevel factors of neighborhood, familial, and personal factors, on the social mobility of youth in Hong Kong, as well as its effect on the social capital of the society. The qualitative strand yields new insights into factors that contribute to the success and the failures of youth during their transitions into adulthood, and the social capital consequences associated with their outcomes. The quantitative strand allows us to collect large scale data sets based on the knowledge generated from the qualitative information. Last, we utilize big data available from governmental websites to collect district level information to bridge macro-level predictors with individual level outcomes. Big data approaches are increasingly used to improve the performance and delivery of public services in cities, and to leverage overall economic growth, both of which impact social mobility.
III. Research Methodology
Target Population The study targeted at emerging adults, aged between 17-23 years old, including locals, new arrivals from Mainland China and ethnic minorities, and of different socio-economic status in Hong Kong.
Qualitative Research The Qualitative Research included 2 parts, an in-depth interview (60-90 minutes) and a self-administered questionnaire survey, which covered Background Information, Individual Level Well-being, Family Level Well-Being, Social Resources: Individual and Neighborhood, and Relationship with the Hong Kong and Government. 45 interviews were conducted from August 2017 to August 2018.
Quantitative Research The Quantitative Research strand is formulated based on qualitative information, which covered Social Capital, Hong Kong and Government, Physical, Mental, Behavioral & Familial Well-being, Demographics, Familial Socio-economic Status, and Social Mobility. We employed 3 different data collection methods: telephone survey, online survey and community center survey. These data collection methods were used to better capture the targeted population. This mixed-methods approach maintained a degree of representatives while ensuring the collection of sufficient and valid samples of the young population, ethnic minorities, and new arrivals in Hong Kong. The data obtained from different survey methods could also be compared to make a contribution to field methods. Over 1,900 interviews were conducted from December 2018 to August 2019.
IV. Research Outputs
Video
Research and Policy Papers
- Platform Communities: Local Platforms for Upward Mobility in Diverse Youth Communities (March 2020)
- Hong Kong Youths and Social Mobility: Facts and Figures (December 2019)
Journal Papers
V. Interactive Data
Coming soon