Housing Welfare, Personal Responsibility, and Morale in Hong Kong

Abstract

Controversies ring about the impacts of housing welfare on people’s responsibility and morale to help themselves and others. On the one hand, exchange theory predicts that receiving public welfare triggers responsibility to raise morale for returning favors to the public. On the other hand, the reception may weaken responsibility and morale through stigmatization. To address the controversies, this study analyzes survey data on 1088 adults in Hong Kong, China. Results reveal the contributions of receiving the housing loan, rental public housing, and purchased public housing to personal responsibility and morale. The contributions persist in various conditions, such that the contributions did not significantly vary across age, gender, and others. These findings thus warrant exchange theory concerning the reciprocation of housing benefits. This warrant implies the worth of strengthening housing welfare to benefit people and society.