Resources and Norms as Conditions for Well-Being in Hong Kong

With the variation of resources and norms in society, the effects of resources and norms on the well-being of individuals are likely to change. People’s age, education, family income, religiosity, voluntary organizational membership, and even protest participation can be considered resources and can maintain fits to local and global liberal norms. Specifically, local norms rest on popularity and valuation in societies. This paper studies the hypothesized effects of resources and normative fits and analyzes data collected from the World Values Survey of 2252 adults in 2005 and 2014 in Hong Kong, China. Results mostly support the resource and normative fit hypotheses. Age, family income, and active voluntary organizational membership are more salutary in 2014 than in 2005. By contrast, education and religious affiliation became less salutary in 2014 than in 2005. In support of the normative fit hypothesis but against the resource hypothesis, protest participation appeared to diminish well-being. Results present implications for enhancing well-being by fostering resources and normative fits.