Study Suggests HK's Social Development Has Stalled

A new study charting Hong Kong's social and economic development suggests that the city has stopped progressing, and may have even gone backwards.

The Council of Social Service updates its "Social Development Index" every two years, taking objective indicators from various sectors like health, safety, education, housing, and crime, to paint an overall picture of how society is progressing.

But its figure for 2016 is one point down down from its reading for 2014, mainly because of the city's housing shortage, fractured families, as well as higher youth unemployment and suicide rates.

It is the first time since the index was launched in 2000 that the readings have gone down.

Anthony Wong, the council's business director, said the latest findings are "very alarming".

"There must be some kind of deep-rooted problem that we have to deal with. Poverty, housing ... if we are not able to handle these issue well ... it could cause big social problems in Hong Kong."