Tradition of supporting parents falling out of favour in Hong Kong

Jul 3, 2009, 2:12 GMT

Hong Kong - More than half of Hong Kong adults questioned in a survey published Friday believe they should not be financially burdened by their elderly parents, indicating a decline in the traditional Chinese belief in children's duty to care for parents.

As many as 51 per cent of the 2,000 people questioned felt that their parents should be self-supporting by the time they retire rather than relying on their children.

Only 29 per cent said they would be willing to support their parents even if it required a drop in their own living standards, while 68 per cent said they would not even expect support from their own children.

The survey - commissioned by Citibank and carried out in April and May by the University of Hong Kong's social sciences research centre - found the majority put their own children before their parents.

The married and middle-aged emerged as less willing to support their parents, with only one in four aged between 40 and 49 and 26 per cent of married people saying children should support their parents unconditionally.

Young people appeared more caring in the survey, with a third saying they thought children should support their parents in retirement.

The researchers claim the results show that the traditional Chinese practice of children caring for their parents in their old age was becoming less popular in modern Hong Kong.

Citibank's director of insurance Emily Cheung said the survey showed fewer people were prepared to financially support parents once they retired.

'I think this is due to the shift in the family structure. In the past, families had more children who could share the financial burden. Now, we have smaller families, and the burden falls on one or two individuals,' she said.