Topic 3: Discuss the development and change of people values and attitude towards
social welfare in Hong Kong society.
Introduction
When we review the development of social welfare in Hong Kong, it is apparent that the
role of Hong Kong government has changed from passivity to active involvement. In the
first two decades after the Second World War, the main thrust of the government was to
secure for the poor a basic living standard. However, since 1967, the government has
found itself actively involved in safeguarding the welfare of its people. This is evident not
only in the growing welfare budget and the increased volume of services provided, but also
in the diversification of programmes in operation. Social welfare has gradually secured a
legitimate place and is regarded as one of the essential institutions in our society.
In the light of such development, it is important for us to study the attitudes of Hong Kong
people towards social welfare for three reasons: 1) to understand the background of
previous social welfare system and social welfare policies; 2) to review the current social
welfare policies and 3) to understand people’s need and plan for the welfare policies in the
future. In this essay, evolution of people’s values and the factors behind such change will
be discussed. It is submitted that there is indeed a very close link between people’s
perception towards social welfare and government’s effort in welfare provision. In the
second part of the essay, people’s attitudes towards some social welfare reforms launched
by the government in recent years will be discussed.
Evolution of people’s attitudes and values towards social welfare in Hong Kong
In the past, most Hong Kong people were much influenced by the Chinese values of
welfare. They saw welfare as a matter of charity, generosity and humanity. Under this
view, the donor provides help just out of his generosity. He has no obligation to give and
the recipients have no moral right to what they receive. As a result, people did not have
much expectation on the government for providing social assistance. Instead, according to
Chow[1], the development of social welfare was largely ‘a history of charitable effort’.
Religious organizations like Church World Service, Catholic Relief Services, Lutheran
World Services; indigenous organizations like Tung Wah Group of hospitals and the Po
Leung Kuk became the main providers of social welfare. There were also some mutual
aids associations like clansmen associations, mutual aids societies and locality associations
which provided help for destitute members by collecting subscriptions from those who
were more fortunate. Their effort was mainly concentrated on relieving the very poor and
their dependent members. Social welfare services provided by the Hong Kong government
were grossly inadequate at that time. People usually relied on themselves or their family
members for support.
With rapid industrialization, today’s Hong Kong people have become more and more
westernized. Western values of individualism, humanitarianism and equality have been
inculcated upon many Hong Kong citizens. People began to regard social welfare as a
matter of fundamental right. Under this view, as explained by Plant and Gooby[2], those
hold the resources have strict obligation to provide and those who are in need have strict
moral claims on those who are better off in society. It is their needs which creates a right to
welfare and a duty on the part of the better endowed to grant welfare benefits to meet those
needs.
This Westernized concept of social welfare can be illustrated in the Basic Law, which is
commonly known as the ‘mini-constitution’ of Hong Kong. Under Article 36, it is
stipulated that Hong Kong residents shall have the right to social welfare in accordance
with the law. The welfare benefits and retirement security of the labour force shall be
protected by law. Under Article 145, the Basic Law further provides that the HKSAR shall,
on its own, formulate policies on the development and improvement of the previous social
welfare system in the light of the economic condition and social needs. With such legal
provisions, people’s legal entitlement to social welfare is confirmed. Any deprivation of
their legal entitlement would be unacceptable and people can thus sue the government to
claim for their rights. For instance, in a recent Court of First Instance case Lam Kin Sum v
Hong Kong Housing Authority[3], the tenant of public housing estate filed a lawsuit
against the government for rent review. This example shows that Hong Kong people are
now more aware of their rights and they no longer see social welfare as a matter of charity.
Moreover, it should be noted that not only the grassroots, but also the middle class is
expecting more from government. A higher quality of social service is also demanded.
Formation of traditional attitudes towards social welfare
There are several reasons explaining Hong Kong people’s apathy towards the provision of
social welfare in the past. Chinese social values, the unique economic and political
condition of Hong Kong play an important role in contributing to the formation of such
attitudes.
a) Strong family network
Under traditional Chinese culture, there is a strong relationship among family members.
‘Family members’ does not only include those related by blood but also more distant
relatives and even non-relatives like neighbours and friends. According to Lau Siu Kai[4],
the notion of ‘utilitarianistic familism’ could be considered as the dominant cultural code
in the Chinese society of Hong Kong. In his article, Lau defined the concept of
utilitarianistic familism as the normative and behavioral tendency of an individual to place
