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The following is issued on behalf of the Commission on Youth:
To echo with the Love and Respect Thy Elders campaign organised by the Family Council, the Commission on Youth (CoY) commissioned the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies of Lingnan University to conduct a study of views on filial piety among youth. The report was published today (April 7).
The study, targeting youths aged 12 to 24, aimed to gather information about the relationships between the youngsters and their senior family members and collect information about their views on filial piety, so as to propose ways to improve inter-generational communications. It further sought to promote the concept of filial piety in society and establish a more harmonious relationship between young people and senior family members.
The study was carried out in two phases. Eight workshops attended by 354 people comprising youngsters paired with parents or senior family members were held during the first phase. The workshops included games, video-watching, foot-washing activities and group discussions. They explored the participants' views on filial piety using the Filial Attitudinal Index (FAI) and the Filial Behavioural Index (FBI), and encouraged the youngsters to think deeply about their relationships with their parents or senior family members. Forty-six schools and youth organisations took part in the second phase, which involved a questionnaire survey among young people to collect data related to their perceptions of filial piety. A total of 3 458 valid questionnaires were collected.
The study revealed that the teenagers who participated in the workshop and responded to the questionnaire survey were generally filial towards their parents, and the FAI and FBI evaluations were positive. However, today's youth do not agree with some of the traditional filial concepts. They make a distinction between filialness and obedience, and consider that parents' orders are not absolute, nor will they fulfil their parents' wishes unconditionally.
The study also found that although the young generations care strongly for their parents they have become less explicit in their expression. Youths now associate mutual respect with caring for their parents, which suggests that it is no longer feasible for parents to treat their children authoritatively. On the other hand, parents understand that the traditional concept of filial piety, which demands various formalities and rites, is not appropriate in modern society. Parents do not expect their children to observe filial piety according to the old standards.
With regard to the factors affecting filial piety, the study indicated that family behaviour, especially the examples set by parents, has the greatest influence on the filial attitudes and behaviour of children. Young people who seek their elders' guidance also have higher filial respect for their elders. Consequently, the study proposed the inclusion of parents as targets for the promotion of filial piety, with a view to helping them pass on positive filial concepts to their children by presenting themselves as good examples.
Moreover, the study discovered that schools and their peers also strongly influence youths' filial concepts. Youngsters whose schools seldom promoted filial piety or whose peers were less filial scored significantly lower on the FAI and FBI evaluations. As they grow up, youths' own independent thinking will pose increasing challenges to the concept of filial piety. In view of this, it is suggested that filial piety education should start in junior forms to foster positive moral values among students, so they can understand the importance of being filial towards their parents.
The CoY will hold a briefing at 4.30pm today at the Henry G Leong Yaumatei Community Centre, 60 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, to introduce the content of the workshop to secondary schools and non-governmental organisations. The Chairman of the CoY, Mr Bunny Chan, and the Chair Professor of Social Gerontology of Lingnan University, Professor Chan Cheung-ming, will attend.
The study report and workshop manual have been uploaded to the CoY website (www.coy.gov.hk) for public access.
Ends/Monday, April 7, 2014
Issued at HKT 14:29
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