Hong Kong's youth too busy with school to care about policy making
Recent findings show that the city’s youngsters feel powerless when it comes to policies
Lau Ming-wai thinks the disconnect between the city’s youth and government is “troubling”. Most young people in Hong Kong have little interest in policy making, according to the initial findings of a consultation conducted by the Commission on Youth.
The commission’s chairman Lau Ming-wai, who led the consultation, said it was intended to make the government’s future policies friendlier towards young people.
He called the findings, which showed a large gap between Hong Kong’s youth and their government, “troubling”.
“Many young people told me [during the consultation] that they would not sit on government advisory or statutory bodies even if they were invited, as they don’t believe the government is listening,” Lau said in an interview with the Post. “It would be a challenge for the government to convince them that they can make an impact [on policies].”
Being preoccupied with problems at school and work were cited as key reasons young people were rejecting the plans the government has made for them.
A Hong Kong student, who chose to remain anonymous, cited the government’s disinterest in youth problems as the reason young people refused to participate in policy making.
“Youngsters in Hong Kong are reluctant to participate in policy making – they think that their voice doesn’t matter and that the government will not listen to their opinions,” the student said. “It is only a token gesture for the government to attempt to engage the youngsters so that they can gain more support.”