Talk of the town：Poverty line in Hong Kong
【明報專訊】The surge in the poverty rate can be explained by the economic recession in 2020 owing to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the rise in the unemployment rate and decelerating wages growth that follow. Some institutions criticized the government for not taking adequate measures to alleviate the poverty issue. What is the poverty line in Hong Kong? What is the poverty situation by district?
◆What is the poverty line?
The poverty line is an indicator of household income for the government to assess the poverty alleviation effectiveness of the policies. It is set at 50% of the median monthly household income before policy intervention in Hong Kong.
Poverty line in Hong Kong
Before government intervention, Kwun Tong had the highest poverty rate among the 18 districts in Hong Kong. 28.8% of its population fell below the poverty line. Kwai Tsing and Wong Tai Sin were two districts that followed, with poverty rates of 27.5% and 27.1% respectively. Central and Western District continued to be at the bottom of the chart with a 16.9% poverty rate.
◆What counts as government intervention?
Some common examples of government intervention are the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme (綜合援助計劃), the Old Age Living Allowance(長者生活津貼) and the one-off cash handout policies. (See the table)
■ Grammar booster
Owing to
Because of, since
e.g.The football match was cancelled owing to a virus outbreak in the city.
■ Gear up
1. Around 50% of the households in Hong Kong fell below the poverty line.
(True/ False)
2. Central and Western District had the lowest poverty rate among all districts.
(True/ False)
■ Game
The median is the middle one in a set of values arranged in numerical order. Can you find the median price of the apples below?
(See the picture)
(Answers on next text)
■Glossary
recession (n) 衰退
decelerate (v) 減速
adequate (adj) 足夠的
alleviation (n) 減輕
(Criticisms on this publication, if any, are aimed at pointing out the errors or defects of certain systems or policies with a view of rectifying or eradicating such errors or defects, as well as prompting improvement or remedy for them via lawful means. There is absolutely no intention of inciting hatred, discontent or hostility towards the government or other classes of the community.)
[Smarties' Power English 第331期]
