As Hong Kong grapples with an ageing population, innovative strategies are emerging to transform challenges into opportunities. The recently launched “Jockey Club Age-friendly Co-creation Project” at PolyU is aimed at enhancing the quality of life for ageing adults while tapping into the silver economy.

Backed by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and hosted by PolyU’s Research Centre for Gerontology and Family Studies (RCGFS), the three-and-a-half year project seeks to explore how age-friendly measures can improve lives and stimulate economic growth within the older demographic. The goal is to foster a more inclusive environment that positions Hong Kong as an inclusive and age-friendly city.

The launch ceremony was attended by distinguished guests from government, academia, business and social welfare sectors. They included Dr the Hon Lam Ching-choi, Member of the Executive Council of the HKSAR Government and Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the RCGFS; Mr Ho Kai-ming, Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the HKSAR Government; and Ms Annie Ng, Senior Manager, Charities, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, along with PolyU management and faculty members.

Age-friendly measures boost spending

During the ceremony, Professor Bai Xue, Professor of the PolyU Department of Applied Social Sciences and Director of the RCGFS, and Dr Liu Mengyu, Research Assistant Professor of RCGFS, presented research findings deriving from in-depth interviews with over 20 local and international companies and industry associations across various sectors, backed up by data from a telephone survey of 3,000 Hong Kong residents aged 50 and above.

The research revealed that less than 25% of ageing adults were satisfied with current offerings, indicating substantial room for improvement in addressing their needs. Enhancing a host of aspects, including the physical environment, staff and personnel, marketing and information, and products and services, can increase the spending willingness of ageing adults by 13.8% to 39.8%.

Friendly staff attitudes had the most significant impact, boosting spending willingness by 39.8%. When all four measures were combined, spending willingness surged by up to 146%. The results highlight the tremendous impact that an age-friendly approach to business can have on consumer behaviour.

Four strategies to co-create an age-friendly future

To translate research into actionable practices, the Project focusses on four key strategies: Engage and Understand, Build Capacity, Recognise, and Sustain Efforts. Initiatives like the “Age-friendly Business Capacity Building Programme” will provide tailored training through seminars and workshops to help businesses better serve ageing adults. Additionally, the Project is organising the “Jockey Club Age-friendly City Partnership Scheme 2024/2025”. The scheme is designed to recognise businesses and organisations that are making an outstanding contribution to fostering an age-friendly culture.

Distinguished guests at the "Jockey Club Age-friendly Co-creation Project" launch ceremony included Dr the Hon Lam Ching-choi (4th from right); Mr Ho Kai-ming (4th from left); Ms Annie Ng (3rd from right), along with other PolyU management and faculty members.

Prof. Miranda Lou expressed her gratitude to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its generous support, which enabled RCGFS to spearhead the innovative project and transform research findings into actionable solutions.