Generation O: Hongkongers increasingly 'overworked, overstressed and overwhelmed'

A new breed of "overworked, overstressed and overwhelmed" people is emerging in Hong Kong, aided by the bad air and a slack attitude towards healthy living, a survey covering eight regions across Asia shows.

Researchers coined the term "Generation O" to describe highly stressed Hongkongers who were also found to be the least positive in Asia about their physical and mental health, and the least motivated to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Sleep was the one thing in which Hongkongers scored better, albeit marginally, than the rest. About 30 per cent said they slept fewer than six hours a day, lower than the regional average of 32 per cent.

"What we are seeing is the emergence of what we are calling Asia's Generation O - a demographic that is overworked, overstressed and generally overwhelmed," Sun Life Hong Kong chief executive Wim Hekstra said yesterday.

"The malaise is especially evident in Hong Kong."

The poll was conducted online for insurer Sun Life Financial by market-research firm Ipsos in August and last month.

Researchers drew their findings from more than 5,000 people aged 25 to 55 in Hong Kong, mainland China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.