This book presents the findings of the seventh territory-wide Social Indicators Survey conducted during the period of May to July 2001. The focus of the survey is on subjective indicators, which include the perceptions, feelings, aspirations, values, beliefs, behavioural tendencies, grievances, and the sense of well-being of Hong Kong residents in different walks of life. The target population comprises adults aged 18 and over who are living in Hong Kong.

The questionnaire used in this survey is divided into two parts. The first part is a core component, to be answered by all respondents, on their quality of life. This core section is a permanent feature of the periodic survey so that social trends can be measured. The second part consists of a number of modules on special topics, and each module is answered by a sub-sample of the respondents. In this survey, there are six special modules: (1) education, work and economic values; (2) family and Hong Kong-mainland relations; (3) political attitudes; (4) housing, legal attitudes and quality of life; (5) poverty; and (6) social welfare, mass communications and information technology.