Hong Kong's housing shortage and sky-high property prices have forced many
grassroots families to live in cramped, poorly equipped subdivided units. To
examine the impact of these living conditions on children's development, the
Public and Social Policy Research Centre of the School of Arts and Social
Sciences at Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) partnered with the Society
for Community Organization (SoCO) to conduct a longitudinal study. The findings
from the first phase reveal that the narrow, overcrowded and noisy environment
of subdivided units significantly affects children's mental well-being, academic
performance and daily life. The survey found that nearly 40% of children living
in subdivided units feel they lack adequate space for studying, and over 40%
feel they lack space for play. These children also display significantly higher
levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.
The three-year mixed-methods study examined how Hong Kong's subdivided housing
affects child development. In the first phase, from June 2023 to August 2024,
researchers conducted surveys with 1,032 Primary 4 to Primary 6 students (from
both subdivided and non-subdivided units), cognitive-behavioural experiments
with 160 children (80 from subdivided units and 80 from non-subdivided units),
and in-depth interviews with 54 children.
The survey found that 39.1% of children living in subdivided units felt they
lack suitable space for studying at home, and 43.9% felt they lacked space to
play—figures significantly higher than those of their peers in non-subdivided
units. In addition, 19% reported serious noise problems at home, and 42%
described severe overcrowding. Interviews revealed that many children had to
study or engage in other activities on their beds or dining tables and often had
to move or discard study materials due to lack of space. Their opportunities for
recreational activities were also extremely limited.
In terms of mental health and emotional well-being, children who felt they
lacked adequate space to play exhibited higher levels of depression, anxiety and
stress—16%, 9% and 10% higher, respectively—than those who felt they had
adequate space. They also experienced 40% more emotional issues and 10% more
behavioural problems. Similarly, children who reported a lack of study space had
depression, anxiety and stress scores 11%, 4.5% and 4.6% higher, respectively,
than those of their peers, and their overall life satisfaction was 15% lower.
These findings indicate that cramped living conditions negatively impact
children's emotional stability and behavioural functioning, possibly impairing
their ability to regulate emotions and cope with stress. Many children reported
feelings of helplessness, anxiety and irritability due to prolonged confinement
in small spaces. Some also reported strained parent-child relationships and
family conflicts.
Regarding academic performance, only 53.7% and 54.6% of children who felt they
lacked study space scored A or B in Chinese and Mathematics,
respectively—significantly lower than the 64.6% of those with sufficient space.
Cognitive experiments revealed that perceived spatial constraints negatively
affected children's language memory and attention. Interestingly, however,
children lacking study space performed better in self-control tests, suggesting
they may have developed stronger self-regulation skills in response to their
challenging environments.
The study found that households in subdivided units had significantly lower
median incomes. As a result, many children lacked stable internet access and
computer equipment, hindering their participation in online learning. Most spent
their after-school hours playing electronic games or watching online videos,
with limited opportunity for outdoor or diverse extracurricular activities.
Parental support for learning was limited, and digital literacy development was
lacking. While parents imposed many rules on device usage, they often failed to
provide constructive guidance, leading to parent-child conflicts.
