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Mainland tourists visit Tsim Sha Tsui on September 28. Hong Kong dropping the last of its Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and removing the mask mandate were significant steps in returning a sense of normality to the city. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
Opinion
Hua Guo and Victor Zheng
Hua Guo and Victor Zheng

Rising liveability doesn’t herald Hong Kong’s return to pre-Covid normal

  • A recent survey suggests Hongkongers see the city as more liveable, but it’s doubtful this means a return to pre-pandemic normality
  • To establish a new normal amid challenging societal and political conditions, Hong Kong leaders must address issues such as housing and cost of living
Hua Guo
Victor Zheng
Hua GuoandVictor Zheng
Why you can trust SCMP
With tens of thousands of people crossing the border to or from Hong Kong during the holiday season, people in Hong Kong have been enjoying post-pandemic life for almost 10 months since the mask mandate was finally lifted at the beginning of March 2023.
The city government has launched a series of campaigns such as “Hello Hong Kong” to boost tourism and “Happy Hong Kong” to lighten residents’ hearts as part of efforts to boost the city’s economy. Hong Kong is rising from the sickbed of Covid-19 and is ready to stand tall again.

The intent of Hong Kong’s leaders to bring back the vibrancy of business in the city is not in doubt. The question is whether Hong Kong will return to the kind of normality that prevailed before the pandemic.

Many indicators – such as those on attendance, traffic, spending and others – give clues to a business rebound, but they shed little light on what people are thinking. The Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, a research arm of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, has been tracking residents’ ratings on Hong Kong’s liveability every year since 2017.

Respondents are asked in a phone survey to rate how suitable Hong Kong is for living on a scale from 0 to 100, with 50 as the pass mark. As a subjective measurement of overall living conditions, nothing could say more about people’s perceptions of normality than a comparison of differences in the ratings over the years.

In September 2019, shortly before the pandemic, the average rating on livability was 54.4. It should be remembered that for most of 2019, Hong Kong was caught up in the anti-extradition bill movement. Confrontations after protests ended in chaos and violence. Those dark days are still painful for many to recall.

02:14

Many in Hong Kong remain masked on city’s first day after end of Covid face-covering mandate

Many in Hong Kong remain masked on city’s first day after end of Covid face-covering mandate
The low score reveals the unappealing normality at that time. The liveability rating sank further, to 49.6, the following year. That was the lowest score on record and for the first time below the pass mark of 50, which reflects the situation when Hong Kong was still experiencing violence and was also afflicted by waves of the Covid-19 pandemic. Few people would like to return to that time.

Alternatively, life before the protest movement seemed more desirable. The mean rating in September 2017 was 63.9, the high score reflecting a time when antagonism had not been ignited – at least on the surface – and society was relatively stable.

That was also a time of consensus. Individual liberties did not infringe upon those of others. That belief used to be widely accepted.

However, that consensus was destroyed as the social fabric was torn up and the normality of the time was shattered in subsequent years. Given the sea change that has occurred in political institutions and social mentalities during the past few years, that normality is pleasant to recall but would be hard to bring back.

In September 2023, the latest liveability rating – the first rating in the post-Covid era – was 56.5 on average. Given the calamities of the past few years, a continuous improvement in the ratings in 2019 and 2020 can be seen since 2021. The liveability ratings have stopped their decline and actually climbed. This suggests a new normality based on a consensus of safety and stability has emerged.

However, the latest rating is only on a par with the rating for 2022, when a wide range of restrictive measures were still in force to deter the spread of Covid-19. Since March last year, restrictions were gradually lifted and travel across borders has returned to normal.

Hong Kong’s post-Covid public health wins and battles in 2023

In light of all the efforts made in the past few months to return to a normal life and business, the barely changed rating indicates that much more than promotional campaigns needs to be done.

The city government should remain attentive to housing conditions, the cost of living, the education system and the liberties people enjoyed before the pandemic. It will be difficult to see an uptick in the liveability rating until these issues are substantially addressed. Only then can we say a new normality has been reached.

Hua Guo is a research associate at the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Victor Zheng is associate director (executive) at the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong

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