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Global Sentiment Survey

Is high inflation taking a toll on your financial and retirement planning?

While economies are reopening, rising cost of living and economic situations have become the primary concerns for countries and regions worldwide. According to the annual Global Sentiment Survey conducted by Fidelity International across 17 regions, the latest figures indicate that inflation is causing stress to 80% of Hong Kong respondents and affecting their financial habits.

“A lot of Hongkongers are financially distressed due to rising cost of living, and more and more of them are postponing their retirement due to insufficient retirement savings. The timely fulfillment of your ideal retirement life is contingent on whether you can plan your finances in time and be proactive about it,” says Charlotte Chan, Head of Hong Kong Workplace and Personal Investing, Fidelity International.

The survey focuses on 4 key areas:

Well-being

Understanding the emotional intensity and evaluating well-being across finances, health, work, and life.

Financial habits

Assessing financial and investing confidence, as well as current habits related to spending, saving, and debt.

Retirement

Determining retirement timelines and understanding employees’ approach to financial planning and advice.

Work

Understanding employees’ needs from their employers regarding compensation, benefits and support.

 

Let’s take a closer look at the key findings in Hong Kong:

 

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Well-being – cost of living woes and worrying about the economy

80% of Hong Kong respondents are dreading soaring inflation, especially the younger workers*, with 60% of them becoming despondent.  

Also, over 60% of Hong Kong respondents cited “insufficient retirement savings”, “failing to meet saving goals”, and “COVID pandemic” as primary stressors. Only 49% of Hong Kong respondents are optimistic about the next 6 months, the lowest percentage amongst all regions in Asia Pacific.  

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Financial habits – saving less and investing more 

Household spending is increasing due to soaring inflation, and over 30% of Hong Kong respondents saved less and spent more than they could afford in the last six months. Meanwhile, quite a number of Hongkongers are confident in long term economic recovery and growth, and 67% of Hong Kong respondents have invested more in this period, especially with younger and middle-aged workers. 

Complete the assessment in 5 minutes and find out how you are doing financially.

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Retirement – worrying about insufficient retirement savings

“Preparations for later life” and “being financially comfortable in retirement ” are primary financial goals for 90% of Hong Kong respondents. 

Besides health problems, 45% of Hong Kong respondents are anxious about using up their retirement savings too soon, highest percentage amongst all surveyed Asia Pacific regions. There is a surge in the number of workers who would defer their retirement and lower their budget for retirement spending, with 30% of older workers expecting retirement expenditures to only account for 26% to 50% of their pre-retirement income. 

Learn more about Fidelity’s Retirement Savings Guidelines to calculate your income replacement rate.

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Work – emphasising retirement support

Besides salary, nearly 40% Hong Kong respondents reckon private medical insurance, retirement savings plan and bonuses are the most important workplace benefits, and Hongkongers are most in need of such support, as compared to other Asia Pacific regions surveyed. This is most evident with the older workers, as more than half of this age group hope their employers would support their retirement savings plan. 

* Younger workers, aged 20-38; Middle-aged workers, aged 39-54; Older workers, aged 55≥

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Understand Financial Wellness

Understand the definition and importance of being financial well

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Determine your Financial Wellness

Assess your personal financial wellness with our easy-to-use tool

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Retirement Savings Guidelines

Rules of thumb that make retirement planning simple

About Fidelity Global Sentiment Survey

The data collection, research, and analysis for the above markets were completed in partnership with Opinium, a strategic insight agency. Data collection took place between August 2022 and September 2022. The sample consisted of 20,000 respondents (1,000 respondents came from Hong Kong) with the following qualifying conditions: Aged 20-75; Either they or their partner were employed full-time or part-time; A minimum household income of: Australia: A$45,000 annually; China: RMB 5,000 monthly; Hong Kong: HK$15,000 monthly; USA: US$20,000 annually; Canada: CA$30,000 annually; UK: £10,000 annually; Mexico: $4,500 MXN monthly; Ireland: €20,000 annually; Germany: €20,000 annually; Netherlands: €20,000 annually; France: €20,000 annually; Italy: €15,000 annually; Spain: €15,000 annually; Japan: 3m yen annually; Brazil: R$1,501 monthly; India: 55,001 annually; Singapore: SGD$2,000 monthly.