Prudential Identifies Highs and Lows of Hong Kong Personal Relationships in Its Relationship Index

HONG KONG, Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Prudential Hong Kong Limited today announced findings of the 2016 Prudential Relationship Index¹ ("PRI") in Hong Kong, with an aim to offer deep understanding and insight into relationships and how to make them stronger. The 2016 Prudential Relationship Index found that Hong Kong ranks 8th out of 10 Asian countries in relationship fulfilment.

The 2016 Prudential Relationship index measures, via a numerical score, how satisfied people are with their primary relationships and what can be done to improve them. Primary relationships include partners, children, family and friends.

Mr. Jones Lam, Deputy Chief Agency Officer (Agency Development) of Prudential Hong Kong Limited said the Prudential Relationship Index provides a snapshot of the health of relationships in Hong Kong, highlighting the areas that contribute to happiness and those that require attention.

"Just like our company credo 'Always Listening. Always Understanding' -- relationships are at the heart of our business. We value the importance of relationships and we believe good relationships are crucial to our happiness and good health. Through the Prudential Relationship Index, we want to help people in Hong Kong better understand their relationships so they can make them more rewarding."

In Hong Kong, the Prudential Relationship Index satisfaction score is 58/100. This means, on average, people's primary relationships fulfil 58% of their desired relationship needs. The average PRI score across all markets in Asia is 68/100 and Hong Kong ranks 8th out of 10 markets in Asia.

The relationship score that people in Hong Kong have with their partners is 51/100. The average score among all markets is 63/100. They said they appreciate partners who will stand up for them (73%), have compatible personalities (70%), are easy to get along with (66%) and have a calming effect on them (65%).

People in Hong Kong tend to have stronger relationships with their friends than with their families. The relationship score they have with their best friends is 40/100. The average score for parents is 35/100, while that for children is 34/100. Colleagues, however, score just 24/100, although more than half (58%) of working people in Hong Kong said some of their work colleagues are among their best friends.

The findings from the research are both cause for celebration and concern. Celebration in that people in Hong Kong value relationships grounded on important attributes such as partnership, companionship, respect and honesty. However, gaps are also present in the level of relationship satisfaction, with family demands, technology and financial uncertainty causing rising tension and stress.

People in Hong Kong lag most Asians in relationship fulfilment

Across the region, people in Hong Kong score lower than many of their Asian peers on relationship fulfilment. The 2016 Prudential Relationship Index indicates that there are many stressed relationships in Hong Kong. 10% of couples argue every day – the highest in the region. One-in-five people surveyed also think seriously about leaving their spouse weekly.

The most likely sources of arguments between couples in Hong Kong are children (42% among parents), followed by being inattentive (39%), money (29%) and housework (24%). Quarrels over children and housework may stem from the unequal responsibilities at home with 53% of women who said they spend more time looking after the children compared with 19% of men.

Relationships with children are lower than average

Compared to other markets, Hong Kong parents have relatively weak relationships with their children. They have the lowest relationship score for children (34/100), across all the markets surveyed. The average score for the region is 48/100.

Parents in Hong Kong most want to avoid their children giving them trouble. They think it is important that children are easy to get along with (60%) and are the highest in the region to want their children to have a calming effect on them (58%).

Although Hong Kong parents are the least likely in the region to help their children study each week (53%), they are the most likely in the region to arrange extra-curricular activities for their young children (89%), including 45% who arrange language tutoring and 29% who arrange mathematics tutoring. 15% of parents of children under the age of 12 arrange at least four different types of activity for them.

Banking on themselves

When it comes to finances, people in Hong Kong are highly financially independent, with 54% stating they receive no financial support from anyone -- the second highest in the region after Singapore. This compares with an Asian average of 37%.

Only 28% of Hong Kong adults provide any financial support to their children over 18 years old. This is the lowest proportion doing so in the region and is less than half of the regional average of 66%.

Digital Divide

Amid the stress of city life, the digital revolution has impacted relationships in Hong Kong, where partners and parents often compete with smart phones for love and attention. For instance, 39% of couples in Hong Kong said their partner sometimes prefers their mobile phones to spending time with them. There is recognition that technology is affecting relationships and because of this, 84% of people would consider having technology-free days in order to spend more time with people.

For more information on the Prudential Relationship Index:

Notes to Editor

ABOUT the 2016 Prudential Relationship Index

The Prudential Relationship Index was developed to understand the state of personal relationships in Asia. Given the vital importance of relationships to people's happiness, wellbeing and longevity, the Prudential Relationship Index offers deep understanding and insight into relationships: how to make them stronger, better and more rewarding. More than 5,000 interviews were conducted in 10 countries and territories in Asia. These included Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Interviews were conducted between 13 and 31 July 2016 with adults between 25 and 55 years of age. In Hong Kong, 500 interviews were conducted through online sampling. Respondents are people living in Hong Kong representing the top two-thirds of household income in Hong Kong.

ABOUT Prudential

Prudential has been serving the people of Hong Kong since 1964. Through Prudential Hong Kong Limited and Prudential General Insurance Hong Kong Limited, we provide a range of financial planning services and products including individual life insurance, investment-linked insurance, retirement solutions, health and medical protection, general insurance and employee benefits.

Prudential plc is an international financial services group with significant operations in Asia, the US and the UK. We serve over 24 million insurance customers and have EUR509 billion in assets under management as at 31 December 2015. Prudential plc is listed on stock exchanges in Hong Kong, London, New York and Singapore.

Please visit www.prudential.com.hk for more information.

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