Latest research from Cigna Healthcare has found that Hong Kong's vitality levels have significantly deteriorated during the first half of 2023, as the city continues to be plagued by high stress and burnout levels.
According to Cigna Healthcare's latest Vitality Study 2023, which surveyed 1,008 people in Hong Kong between May and June this year regarding their social, occupational, financial, intellectual, physical, spiritual, emotional, and environmental well-being, only 5% of respondents in Hong Kong reported high levels of vitality, compared to 17% globally.
The Cigna Healthcare Vitality Study 2023 is based on the Evernorth Vitality Index, an individual level indicator of whole person health that was developed by Cigna Healthcare in partnership with a leading psychologist. Individuals with vitality score 87 to 100 are classified as high vitality, whereas people scoring 0 to 47 are classified as low vitality.
According to the survey, the proportion of high vitality individuals in Hong Kong has halved since January this year, with the average vitality score falling by over 3 points (from 63.5 to 60.4), significantly lower than the global average (68.0) by more than 10% and the lowest among surveyed markets in APAC and global markets.
The poor state of Hongkongers' emotional and mental health has emerged as a key factor in their low levels of vitality. Cigna Healthcare's study found that 87% of Hong Kong respondents have experienced stress, higher than the global average of 80% and the APAC average of 84%.
Those with low vitality also tend to be more stressed (nine in 10) compared to those with high vitality (seven in 10). The burnout rate in Hong Kong remains the highest in APAC since post-pandemic, with 96% reporting at least one burnout symptom (such as feeling drained, helpless or defeated, overwhelmed, having a negative outlook, etc.) over the past year.
The top stressor for Hongkongers is uncertainty about the future (43%), followed closely by financial issues like personal finance (36%) and the current cost of living (34%).