Religious belief and its association with life satisfaction of adolescents in Hong Kong

Abstract

The present study seeks to understand the association of adolescents religious belief with life satisfaction in Hong Kong. Data of 5,812 adolescents key demographic information and life satisfaction were gathered through stratified sampling in order to reflect four distinctive adolescent groups in Hong Kong: Hong Kong Mainstream Chinese Students (HKMCS), Non-Chinese Speaking South and south-east Asian Students (NCS), Chinese Immigrant Students (CIS) and Cross-Boundary Students (CBS) from Mainland China. The Multidimensional Students Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) was used to explore life satisfaction of the four student groups. Results indicate that there were significantly different levels of life satisfaction across the four groups. Key demographic variables were significantly but dissimilarly associated with different groups of students life satisfaction. Religious belief was substantially important for the life satisfaction of NCS in particular. Implications for research, policy and practice are discussed.