Project Background

In September 2025, the School of Professional Education and Executive Development (SPEED) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU SPEED) was awarded by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region a project under the Inter-Institutional Development Scheme (IIDS) titled “Well-being of Hong Kong Citizens under Emerging Public Policy Agendas” (Project reference no.: UGC/IIDS24/H07/25).

Project Abstract

The well-being status of Hong Kong citizens has been alarming in recent years. Based on the World Happiness Report 2024, Hong Kong only ranked 86 among 143 countries or regions and scored only 5.316 in average life evaluation (ALF). Hong Kong has been lagging behind majority of her Asian counterparts. This raises the pressing need to address well-being issues at the individual and societal levels of Hong Kong.

The World Health Organization views that health and well-being are inextricably linked. In 2015, the United Nations (UN) adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which offers a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were developed. Among the SDGs, SDG 3 aims at promoting good health and well-being while SDG 11 attempts to build inclusive, safe, and sustainable cities. Improving well-being of Hong Kong citizens help achieve the SDGs.

Since the promulgation of The Planning Study on the Co-ordinated Development of The Greater Pearl River Delta Townships and The 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and Vision 2035 of China places specific prominence on promoting well-being of citizens, “Healthy China”, and urban living. Among various national initiatives, the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) will be an economically and socially impactful focus of China and Hong Kong in the future.

The Policy Addresses 2022 to 2024 of Hong Kong addressed well-being issues as follows: (1) proactive integration into the country’s development, (2) enhancement of mental wellness of the community and improvement of citizens’ livelihood in pursuit of happiness, (3) enhance the quality of life of the citizens and improve their livelihood and well-being, and (4) development of “Well-Being” design guidelines for new public housing projects to create a living environment with a greater sense of well-being and its implementation measures by 2027.

Leveraging the expertise of a multidisciplinary team from the School of Professional Education and Executive Development of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU SPEED), the proposed project objectives are as follows:

1. To examine emerging public policy agendas related to well-being issues of Hong Kong based on local and overseas experiences;

2. To address research and policy gaps in promoting well-being of Hong Kong citizens through interdisciplinary dialogue among major policy stakeholders (including policymakers, professionals, policy researchers, academics, community organisations, and citizens);

3. To promote knowledge exchange and research collaboration on well-being issues among academics and professionals in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area;

4. To develop research and teaching capacity of local academics in well-being issues of Hong Kong.

Within 12 months, the project will organise an international conference, three research seminars, and one workshop to produce both scholarly and societal impacts. First, the project attempts to improve the research capacities of PolyU SPEED’s faculty and collaborating institutions, produce scholarly publications, and the submission of competitive research grant proposals. Second, the project intends to spearhead inclusive urban policies grounded in community engagement, more resilient and equitable societal framework, and ultimately improve well-being of citizens.

Project Objectives

The project objectives are as follows:

1. To examine emerging public policy agendas related to well-being issues of Hong Kong based on local and overseas experiences;
2. To address research and policy gaps in promoting well-being of Hong Kong citizens through interdisciplinary dialogue among major policy stakeholders (including policymakers, professionals, policy researchers, academics, community organisations, and citizens);
3. To promote knowledge exchange and research collaboration on well-being issues among academics and professionals in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area;
4. To develop research and teaching capacity of local academics in well-being issues of Hong Kong.

Project Team

The project team of “Well-being of Hong Kong Citizens under Emerging Public Policy Agendas” consists of:

Principal Investigator (PI)

Professor Roger Chun-kwong CHAN, Division Head, Division of Social Sciences, Humanities and Design (SSHD), College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI)

Dr Vincent LAW, Senior Lecturer and Associate Division Head, Division of Social Sciences, Humanities and Design (SSHD), College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Co-Investigators (Co-Is)

Professor Shui-yan TANG, Professor, Frances R. and John J. Duggan Professor in Public Administration, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, United States of America; Vice-Chancellor Visiting Professor, School of Governance and Policy Science, CUHK

Professor Ben FONG, Professor of Practice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Director of the Centre for Ageing and Healthcare Management Research (CAHMR), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Dr David KANSAKAR, Lecturer, Division of Social Sciences, Humanities and Design (SSHD), College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Dr Wallace TSANG, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Hong Kong Shue Yan University