Survey finds the more we have, the less we care
2 June 2005
HONG KONG — LEADING global market research firm Synovate, today released data that showed that the more affluent a society is, the less likely it is to care about other people.
The data came from the first annual Caring Index, a survey that looks at people across seven markets in Asia and studies their behaviours and attitudes towards others.
Jill Telford, Managing Director of Synovate Hong Kong, said that the countries were ranked according to how much they cared.
Thailand emerged as the most caring nation - and Hong Kong and Singapore are fighting it out for the least caring.
"We found some clear differences between developing and developed economies. The people who can afford to care, don't care as much as those with less," she said.
The rankings were (from most caring to least caring):
- Thailand
- Indonesia
- Korea - equal third
- Taiwan - equal third
- Hong Kong
- Singapore
The study also covered China but - in adhering to SSB standards - Synovate was not able to ask all questions and apply the Index.
A big wake up call
One of the issues examined by the study was whether last December's Boxing Day tsunami changed people's willingness to help others.
Ms Telford said that an overall 75% of Asians were either 'a lot more' or 'a little more' willing to go out of their way to assist those in need.
"We did this study in March 2005, so it's heartening to see that a few months after the event, a large percentage of Asians remain empathetic and willing to help.
"However, not surprisingly, the countries that were impacted the most by the tsunami were also the societies with the greatest number of people putting their hands up," she said.
The Thais were the most likely to change their behaviour as a result of the tsunami at 88%, closely followed by Indonesia (81%), Korea (80%), Singapore (73%), China (71%), Taiwan (67%) and Hong Kongers were least likely to help at 54%.
Money or time?
The survey found that when it comes to donations, Hong Kong comes up trumps. Eighty per cent of respondents from the city had been personally involved in a charity and / or made donations in the past 12 months. This was followed by Thailand (76%), Singapore (70%), Taiwan (64%), China and Korea (both at 62%) and Indonesia (55%).
However, when time was the focus we saw a different story. Here Hong Kongers were the least likely to help and - again - the Thais were most likely to. When asked how many hours per month were devoted to volunteer work, the results were Thailand (9.3 hours), Singapore (5 hours), Taiwan (4.2 hours), Indonesia (3.9 hours), China (2.8 hours), Korea (2.6 hours) and Hong Kong (2.4 hours).
Ms Telford said: " When it comes to helping others, there are two valuable commodities an individual can donate - their time and their money.
"The people of Hong Kong are comparatively affluent and time-poor, so their solution to helping others is to hand their money over. The Thais are a very caring people, spending time and money in furthering the greater good," she said.
Would you put your money where your mouth is?
Respondents were presented with a series of statements and asked to rate their agreement on a five-point scale.
When asked if they would pay higher tax for a better social welfare system, an overall 45% of Asians agreed. Thais were the most willing to pay for these services (59%) followed by Taiwan (50%), Hong Kong (49%), Indonesia (42%), Singapore (39%) and Korea (38%).
Similarly, 54% of Thais agreed they would pay higher tax for a better education system with the next ranking going to Hong Kong (50%), Taiwan (46%), Indonesia (45%), Singapore (36%) and Korea (31%).
In terms of willingness to fund more facilities for the disabled, the ranking was Korea (87%), Thailand (85%), Indonesia (82%), Singapore (70%), Hong Kong (66%) and Taiwan (61%).
Ms Telford said that it was a good indication of caring to see if people were willing to pay more for better services for society.
"A hit to the hip pocket is the ultimate test of commitment to caring for others in society. Almost across the board, the Thais are the most willing to make this step although there is a strong message for the Korean authorities that society is far more willing to look after the disabled," she said.
Contact(s) for this press release
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Linda Collard
Director, Marketing Communications |
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9/F Leighton Centre |
Telephone: +852 2830 2588 |
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Henrietta Sung
Marketing Manager |
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Telephone: +1 647 837 5053 |
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Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 6,000 employees across 62 countries.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.