Chan Chun Sum Brian 23466987

Baiastan Muzuraimov 23472154

POLS7060
Housing
unaffordability stress
and Its impact on
academic performance
of Hong Kong’s Youth
Presentation of Research Proposal
 Overview

• Background of the study

• Statement of the problem
• Literature Review
• Framework
• Research design
• Timeline & Resources
• Scope and limitations
 Background of the Study
1. Hong Kong's young people are struggling with growing housing
issues (Victor, 2015)
2. The problem has become more severe with rising house prices
and lack of affordability in Hong Kong (Forrest & Xian, 2018).
3. On a global scale, according to Demographia International
Housing Affordability survey for 2023, Hong Kong remained
the least housing affordable market for the 13th year in a row
since 2010.
4. A drop in the happiness of young people since 2012, linked to
high housing costs. Youth are unhappier than older individuals
(Chiu & Wong, 2017).
5. A 2019 survey study by Baptist university that young
individuals feeling happier living in private houses, than those
in public (Leung et al., 2020)
6. High housing cost, small living spaces and social gaps have left
the city’s youth feeling hopeless (Zhang, 2023)
7. Housing unaffordability has negative health consequences on
people, which results in stress (Chung et al., 2019)
Statement of the Problem
How does the stress associated with
housing affordability impact academic
performance of Hong Kong’s youth?
Objectives
Our study focuses on the stress
caused by difficulties in affording
housing and how this affects the
academic performance of Hong
Kong's youth. Despite having the
worst in the world housing
affordability problem and the
growing unhappiness among
young people, there is a lack of
studies on this topic.
 Review of Related Literature
The research studies on the relationship between housing unaffordability stress and academic performance,
primarily conducted in Western contexts, presents mixed findings. For instance, Harkness and Newman (2005)
found no significant link between housing affordability issues and academic achievement. In contrast, a study
by Sotomayor et al. (2022) in urban areas like Toronto revealed that students struggling with housing
affordability face a lot of stress and socio-economic challenges. Extending the geographical scope, a recent
study from China by Wang et al. (2023) observed a decline in academic performance among adolescents due
to housing unaffordability. This decline was attributed to reduced investments in essential areas such as
nutrition, social capital, and educational resources. However, it's important to note that this study focused on
the 13-18 age group, while our research targets individuals aged 18 and above. Notably, studies specifically
addressing this issue in Hong Kong are scarce, highlighting a gap in the literature that our research aims to
fill.

Framework
Housing affordability: Renting ability of each person
Measurement: housing cost, expenditure cost and
household income(Ong,2000)
Mutual relationship: Housing price
increase, young people can’t afford
high housing price in market, in which
it will lead to negative impact of youth
subjective well-being and academic
performance
Stress: reaction and stimulate, mainly focused on
sorrow and discomfort, related to environmental
change(Papathanasiou, Tsaras, Neroliatsiou &
Roupa, 2015), may lead to illness and anxiety in the
behaviour (Kranner, Minibayeva, Beckett & Seal,
2010)
Academic achievement: performance outcome that
based on individual goal focused on college, school
or universities activities, mainly measuring unit will
be GPA (Grade Point Average) (Steinmayr, Meiǹer,
Weideinger & Wirthwein, 2014)
"Housing affordability" indicated renting ability of each person by measurement of
housing cost, expenditure cost and household income(Ong,2000).Research questions
are about stress associated with housing affordability impact Hong Kong’s youth and
correlations between housing affordability stress and academic performance among
university students in Hong Kong. “Academic performance” and “stress” mainly
responded to personal view .“Housing affordability”covered rent ability for each
person in assuming personal income can rent instead of purchasing a house. It had
mutual relationship with “stress” and “academic performance” as when housing costs
arise in Hong Kong, youths can’t afford owning a house in market. Therefore, it will
negatively affect youth academic performance and stress.
 Methodology
Qualitative Method

• Focus Group Interviews

• Snowball and purposive sampling
• 20 participants for focus group interview
• Participants criteria:
• 1. Age 18-25 youths
• 2. Education level: Bachelor (Year 1 to 4) and university graduate (e.g. full-time study, full-time
work, full-time study and part-time work, part-time study and full-time work, no work and study)
• 3. Income level: Below $3,000, $3,000-3,999, $4,000-4,999, $5,000-5,999, $6,000-6,999,
$7,000-7,999, $8,000-$8,999, $9,000-9,999, $10,000-14,999, $15,000-19,999, $20,000-29,999,
$30,000 or above, unstable income, etc.
 Interview design
● One session
● Timeframe: One hour
● Format: Semi-structured focus group interview/discussion format
● Venue: HKBU or other universities (e.g. HKU, CUHK, HKUST)
● Interview questions: 15-20 questions, 1. Basic information, including age, education level, occupation
status, income level, fertility status and family status, 2. Some examples of questions: What type of
housing do you live? Is the housing currently rented or purchased by you or your parents? What will
you consider to purchase a house? What will you consider to lucky draw for public housing application?
Do you have stress on housing affordability issue? Will housing unaffordability affect your academic
performance in university?
● Research incentive: $100 Starbucks coffee vouchers
Ethical Considerations
● Before the focus group interviews start, all the respondents must complete the consent
form that will provide by researcher
● Consent form: stated on the researcher information, such as name and university came
from, research information such as topic and purpose, duration,etc.
● The consent form will approve by university ethical committee before the focus group
interview
● To ask on willingness to participate in the focus group interview
Sampling method
● Snowball and purposive sampling
● Start with small case first and then make larger (Neuman, 2014)
● Before the focus group interview, start on three or four youths that they don’t know each
other, then invite their friends struggling with the same issue, to participate in the
interview
● Aimed at the exploratory purpose for how stress associated with housing affordability
impact on Hong Kong’s youth and academic performance
Data analysis
● Focus groups interviews will be tape recorded
● Coding by using Maxcoda software
● Grounded theory will be used in analysis
● Open-coding and conceptualize different keywords appear in the focus group interview
● Comparison of coding similarity and difference
● Selective coding will be used for extracting core category from conceptualized categories by
integration and condensation
Timeline and January Fieldwork for data collection

Resources
Budget Writing the thesis and data
February
Tape recorder: 1 for $1500 analysis
Starbucks Vouchers: $2000
Research duration: 20 days
6 days for contacting the participants, set up time and interview
venue;
Refine the thesis
1 day spent for completing one session of focus group interview; March
13 days will be spent on data analysis and findings transformation
into academic article.

April Submit the final project

proposal
 Scope and limitations
The study is designed to explore the relationship between the stress of housing
affordability and its influence on the academic performance of youth in Hong Kong.
Specifically, it will concentrate on individuals aged 18 to 25. This age group is
significant as it primarily includes undergraduate and graduate university students, a
period when many are transitioning from living in their parental homes to
establishing independent living arrangements. As such, our data collection will be
focused on university students in Hong Kong who are currently residing with their
parents.

However, it's important to note that our approach to sampling is purposive, targeting
a specific demographic. Consequently, the sample size and composition may not
provide a fully representative cross-section of the broader youth population in Hong
Kong. Our methodology involves the use of semi-structured interviews within focus
groups. While this qualitative approach offers valuable insights, particularly in terms
of validity, it is important to acknowledge that it may not have the same level of
reliability as quantitative research methods.
 References
Chiu, S. W. K., & Wong, K. T. W. (2018). Happiness of Hong Kong youth from 2000 to 2014: Empirical evidence on the differential impact of socioeconomic conditions on youth versus other age
groups. Journal of Youth Studies, 21(3), 253-271.
Chung, R. Y. N., Chung, G. K. K., Gordon, D., Mak, J. K. L., Zhang, L. F., Chan, D., ... & Wong, S. Y. S. (2020). Housing affordability effects on physical and mental health: household survey in a
population with the world’s greatest housing affordability stress. J Epidemiol Community Health, 74(2), 164-172
Demographia International Housing Affordability: All Editions. http://www.demographia.com/db-dhi-index.htm
Forrest, R., & Xian, S. (2018). Accommodating discontent: Youth, conflict and the housing question in Hong Kong. Housing Studies, 33(1), 1-17.
Harkness, J., & Newman, S. J. (2005). Housing affordability and children's well‐being: Evidence from the national survey of America's families. Housing Policy Debate, 16(2), 223-255.
Kranner, I., Minibayeva, F. V., Beckett, R. P., & Seal, C. E. (2010). What is stress? Concepts, definitions and applications in seed science. New Phytologist, 188(3), 655-673.
Leung, K. M., Orekoya, F., Bailey, A. J., Lai, H. Y., Chan, K. Y., & Lam, T. L. (2020). Health of youth in transition in Hong Kong. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public
Health, 17(11), 3791.
Neuman, W. L. (2014). Social research methods: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed). Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
Ong, S. E.(2000). Housing Affordability and Upward Mobility from Public to Private Housing in Singapore. International Real Estate Review, 3(1),49-64.
Papathanasiou, I. V., Tsaras, K., Neroliatsiou, A., & Roupa, A. (2015). Stress: Concepts, theoretical models
and nursing interventions. American Journal of Nursing Science, 4(2-1), 45-50
Sotomayor, L., Tarhan, M. D., Vieta, M., McCartney, S., & Más, A. S. (2022). When students are house-poor: Urban universities, student marginality, and the hidden curriculum of student housing. Cities, 124, 103572.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103572
Steinmayr, R., Meiǹer, A., Weideinger, A. F., & Wirthwein, L. (2014). Academic achievement. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Stress and coping. (2011). In C. Yuill, I. Crinson, & E. Duncan, SAGE key concepts: Key concepts in health studies. London, UK: Sage UK.
Victor, J. L. (2015). Young People Housing in Hong Kong: Why Failure to Launch?. 한국주거학회 국제학술대회논문집, 185-185.
Wang, Y., Li, Q., Ding, L., & Sousa‐Poza, A. (2023). Housing unaffordability and adolescent academic achievement in urban China. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4544570
Zhang, J. (2023). Housing Affordability in Hong Kong and Its Socio-Political Implications. In Governance in Transitional Societies in East and Southeast Asia (pp. 121-147). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Q&A Session

Thank you for listening!