Young people in Hong Kong are keen to “lie flat”, taking a break from school or work. Photo: Sun YeungAlmost half of Hong Kong secondary students are either lying flat or plan to, according to a recent poll by the Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association.
The survey of 990 secondary students from September to November last year aimed to unpack the mentality of young people who opted to lie flat – a term that describes doing the bare minimum career or academics-wise.
This was a higher percentage than the one given in April 2024 – a fifth – by Hong Kong Shue Yan University’s sociology department, which conducted a similar survey on the phenomenon.
However, a researcher has said that adults should not be too concerned by young people’s presumed lack of motivation.
The association said about 27 per cent of respondents felt they had been lying flat, which the poll defined as “being lazy, not wanting to do homework or socialise, not aiming for good results in their studies, lacking specific targets or interests, having no aspirations for the future and wanting to live a relaxed life”.
The survey also found another 17 per cent of all respondents indicated they were “planning to lie flat”.
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Among those opting to lie flat, about 41 per cent said they had done so for more than a year.
Despite these findings, Kwok Yi-chung, chief officer of youth and community services for the association, said that “most students view lying flat as temporary rather than a permanent lifestyle”.
He added that instead of passively feeling hopeless or incapable, students said they were willing to try harder when the right opportunities arose.
Kwok stressed that lying flat was also not an attitude that was specific to just young people, and some adopted it simply because they wanted to rest.
“We need to accept young people instead of negatively labelling them,” he said, adding that adults could share different perspectives with teenagers to inspire them.
Respondents were also asked to pick one or more reasons from among six to explain why they were lying flat.
According to the association, of the 267 respondents who were already lying flat, 139 identified as wanting to be “comfortable” or free from any burdens.
Seventy-seven said they had no plans to start families, 75 had no clear direction after graduation, and 62 described themselves as “hopeless” failures who saw slim chances of improvement.
Meanwhile, 52 people said they felt pressured by their repeated failures and wanted to improve themselves, and 41 said their friends accepted that they were lying flat and could rely on their parents for their living.
Among those lying flat in Hong Kong, an 18-year-old who gave his name as Alex told the South China Morning Post he was doing so even as he took a tertiary-level social service course.
Alex, who did not take the association’s survey, said he worked hard in secondary school but did not achieve significant academic results, resulting in his decision to lie flat since Form Three.
He added that all his friends had accepted his decision to lie flat.
Alex said he “hoped” to be a social worker in the future but would give up the occupation if he found it too hard and opt for a different job with less pressure.