The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants ("HKICPA”) conducted the "Teen Money Management Survey" to understand the consumption and financial management habits of local primary and secondary school students, and to propose suggestions to contribute to the development of financial management education for Hong Kong students. Based on the survey results, HKICPA graded the financial management skills of primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong at a " B" level*. The HKICPA was pleased to observe that the respondents demonstrated increasingly solid concepts of money and financial management; however, there is still room for improvement, particularly in their savings and expenses tracking habits. In addition, the HKICPA recommends that financial education continue to be provided to students, with a specific focus on wealth planning and the utilization of electronic payments.

The Institute has been actively engaging with Hong Kong’s new generations through a range of interactive student programmes, including the “Rich Kid, Poor Kid” financial education programme and experimental learning activities series. These programmes aim to instil proper financial management knowledge to primary and secondary school students, as well as tertiary students. Furthermore, the Institute introduces students to the latest developments in the accounting profession, supporting them in shaping their career aspirations and nurturing the next generation of CPAs and business leaders with accounting qualification for Hong Kong.

Roy Leung, President of HKICPA, said, "The Institute firmly believes that instilling proper financial management concepts and knowledge at an early age can help the younger generation achieve long-term success and make significant contributions to Hong Kong's development as an international financial centre. Through this survey, the Institute aims to assess students' fundamental financial management literacy, and examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their consumption patterns, financial management habits and career plans. Based on the survey results, we have provided financial management advice to students and call upon stakeholders to provide relevant financial education support to empower students.”

HKICPA issued an online questionnaire from March to May 2023 to local primary four to secondary three students to participate in the survey anonymously. A total of 1,337 valid responses from 23 schools were successfully collected. Through this survey, the Institute hopes to provide relevant reference for parents and schools, ultimately benefiting the younger generations by offering them more relevant financial education in line with today’s societal environment. The Institute first introduced the Teen Money Management Survey in 2020 and plans to conduct it regularly, with the aim of tracking the financial habits of local students in the long term. This will enable continuous evaluation of financial education content and facilitate innovative improvements.

Students' savings and expense-tracking habits show growth; nearly half of students surveyed borrow money from peers

The survey findings revealed that 87% of students surveyed have saving habits, while 43% of them responded indicated they had the habit of money tracking expenses (including savings or expenses tracking). Compared with the results of the first survey in 2020, there has been a three percentage point increase in students with savings habits and an eight percentage point increase in students with expense tracking habits, which is encouraging.

The survey also revealed that family and schools remain the most common sources for students to learn financial knowledge, in which over 50% students responded that they learn about financial knowledge through these two channels. The students expressed the highest interest in learning about topics such as "effective savings methods", "how to save money or be smart with money", "understanding different payment methods (such as credit cards, e-wallets) ", and "how bank accounts operate". In view of this, HKICPA calls for society to strengthen support for teachers and families to provide financial education. Besides, 38% of students said they learned financial knowledge through “the Internet or mobile apps”, which was eight percentage points higher than the previous survey and surpassed "television" (21.5%) and "textbooks" (19.7%). The Institute reminds students to exercise caution and verify the reliability of online financial information, while parents and schools should also provide timely assistance.

However, it is concerning that nearly half (49.3%) of the students admitted to borrowing money from others, primarily among peers. In addition, 76.6% of the students said they had lent money to others, with a significant proportion lending to classmates or friends.

Increasing use of e-payments among students

On the other hand, the survey intends to gauge the popularity of different electronic payment platforms among local primary and secondary school students. The results showed that 95% of students said they received pocket money by cash, reflecting that cash is still most common; where the ratio is still much higher than "Octopus or transfers via other electronic payment platforms” (32.7%). Meanwhile, more than half (54.2%) of the students reported that cash continues to be the most common medium of payment for shopping. However, this is a drop from the figure of nearly 60% (59.3%) in the 2020 survey. In contrast, there has been a notable increase in the number of students who responded e-payments as their most common medium for payments. 26% of students use Octopus as their primary medium for payments, while 7% use other e-payment platforms (such as credit cards, Alipay or WeChat Pay, etc) as the major payment medium, increasing eight and four percentage points respectively when compared to 2020 figures. The Institute believes that the shift in payment patterns is associated with the changing payment habits of citizens due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Government's distribution of consumption vouchers through electronic payment platforms.

Primary and secondary school students’ financial management skills graded at a "B" level

HKICPA believes that implementing practices of savings and expense tracking are important steps towards proper financial management. Hence, the Institute adopts "saving habits" and "money tracking habits" (including recording savings and expenses) as fundamental indicators of students' financial management status. Adding together overall observations from the survey, the Institute has graded the financial management capabilities of primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong at a "B" level. This indicates that students possess fundamental knowledge of the sources and types of money, as well as a grasp of fundamental financial management skills. In general, students have demonstrated saving habits, although there is still room for further promotion of money tracking practices. The Institute hopes to continue observing the consumption and financial habits of primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong, understanding their spending and payment patterns, identifying methods to enhance educational effectiveness, and ultimately raising the level of financial knowledge among children and teenagers.

The survey also sought to understand students' financial capabilities and found that more than 80% of the students received pocket money, and about 68% of them received pocket money on a regular basis. The average amount of pocket money received per week was $51.8 for primary four to six students and $273.9 for secondary one to three students. Both figures recorded about a 3% rise compared to the 2020 survey. In addition to pocket money, students reported receiving additional income under certain circumstances. For example, receiving red packets during the Lunar New Year (88.2%), birthdays (67.4%), other festivals or special days (27.1%), and good performance in homework or exams (26.2%). More than 40% of students (41.4%) also reported that they could obtain additional money through requests to family members.

The HKICPA believes that the data obtained from this survey will shed light on students’ concepts of money and financial management habits to different stakeholders in the community. Based on the survey results, the Institute recommends that, through everyday examples and experiments, parents and schools can guide students to think twice before making spending decisions and to keep a habit of tracking expenses, which would help nurture a mindset of spending within their means. By building the habit of “save first, spend later”, students can learn the concepts of “income” and responsible spending. 

In particular, HKICPA is concerned about the finding that quite a few responding students have already had money borrowing or lending experiences. We encourage parents to lead by example in financial management. For instance, they could share the family’s actual financial status with students, such as discussing family expenses, savings and how they establish expense budgets. Parents may also set a good example in terms of spending habits. By doing so, parents can help cultivate a responsible financial attitude and habits in their children.

On a separate note, after the COVID-19 pandemic and the Government’s distribution of multiple rounds of consumption vouchers through electronic means, e-payment tools have gradually become an indispensable part of daily life. However, there is a wide variety of e-payment tools and cashless nature of e-payment transactions. It could become more challenging for students to grasp concepts of money. The Institute recommends parents and teachers to introduce the basic operational concepts of e-payment tools and promote responsible consumption to students.

As a professional accounting body and one of the pioneering organizations promoting financial education, HKICPA will continue its dedicated efforts in fulfilling social responsibilities by launching a wide range of corporate social responsibility projects, including the “Rich Kid, Poor Kid” programme. Through these projects, the Institute provides a platform for its members to utilize their unique professional knowledge and skills as accountants to give back to society, and ultimately cultivating a financially savvy next generation in Hong Kong.

For detailed findings of the Teen Money Management Survey (Chinese only), please read the full report.

^{*For details of financial capabilities of primary and secondary students in Hong Kong ratings, please refer to the appendix below.}

^{Photo 1: The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants ("HKICPA”) conducted the "Teen Money Management Survey" to understand the consumption and financial management habits of local primary and secondary school students, and to propose suggestions to contribute to the development of financial management education for Hong Kong students.}

^{Photo 2: HKICPA President Roy Leung said the Institute aims to assess students' fundamental financial management literacy, and examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their consumption patterns, financial management habits and career plans through this survey. Based on the survey results, we have provided financial management advice to students and call upon stakeholders to provide relevant financial education support to empower students.}

Appendix: Rating of financial capabilities of primary and secondary students in Hong Kong

香港會計師公會發表《中小學生理財現況調查報告》

本地中小學生理財能力達「B級 」

金錢及理財概念漸見鞏固     宜加強財富規劃及電子支付使用教育

香港會計師公會（「公會」）進行《中小學生理財現況調查》，了解本地中、小學生的消費及理財習慣，並提供建議以協助設計適合香港學生的理財教育。綜合調查結果，公會評定本港中小學生的理財能力達「B級*」，樂見他們對金錢及理財概念漸見鞏固，惟儲蓄及記帳習慣仍有待提高；公會亦建議社會各界可繼續從財富規劃及使用電子支付方面著手，加強學生理財教育。

香港會計師公會一直透過多元化的學生互動項目，包括「窮小子、富小子」理財教育計劃、體驗學習活動系列等接觸香港新生代，向專上院校學生以及中小學生灌輸正確的理財知識，並讓他們從中了解會計專業及其最新發展，務求協助學生及早確立事業志向，為香港培育新一代會計師或擁有會計資歷的商業領袖。

香港會計師公會會長梁思傑表示：「公會深信，及早擁有正確理財概念及認知，有助年輕一代長遠邁向成功，為香港繼續成為國際金融中心作出重要貢獻。透過這次調查，公會希望了解學生的基礎理財素養，以及新冠疫情對學生的消費模式、理財習慣甚至生涯規劃的影響。根據調查所得，我們為學生提供理財建議，並呼籲不同持份者在理財教育上為學生提供相應支援。」

公會於2023年3月至5月期間，向本地小四至中三學生發送電子問卷，邀請他們以不記名方式參與，並成功收集來自23間學校合共1,337份有效回覆。公會期望透過是次調查，為家長及學校提供有用參考，繼而讓年輕一代受惠，為他們提供更切合現今社會環境的金錢教育。公會於2020年首次推出這項理財調查，並計劃恆常進行，長遠追蹤本地學生的理財習慣，持續檢討理財教育的內容，並推陳出新。

學生儲蓄及記帳習慣有所增長  近半學生曾向朋輩借錢

調查發現，87%受訪學生表示有儲蓄習慣，另有43%受訪學生表示有記帳習慣（包括記錄儲蓄或消費），相比起2020年首次調查的結果，表示有儲蓄習慣的學生增加三個百份點；表示有記帳習慣的學生則增加八個百份點，情況令人鼓舞。

是次調查亦發現，家人及學校仍然是學生學習理財知識的最普遍途徑。分別有超過五成的受訪學生表示透過這兩個途徑學習理財知識；而學生最感興趣的理財知識範疇為「儲蓄的好方法」、「如何慳錢或精明用錢」、「認識不同付款方法（例如信用卡、電子錢包）」和「認識銀行戶口怎樣運作」等。有見及此，公會呼籲社會各界加強支援老師及家庭所提供的理財教育。此外，有38%學生表示透過「上網或手機App」學習理財知識，數據較上次調查高出八個百份點，並超越「電視」（21.5%）及「教科書」（19.7%）。公會提醒，學生應小心留意網上資訊的可靠性，家長及學校亦須適時提供協助。

然而，有近半（49.3%）受訪學生表示曾經向他人借錢，主要是朋輩之間互相借貸。另外，有76.6%受訪學生表示曾經借貸予別人，當中主要借貸給同學／朋友的比例相當大，情況令人關注。

學生使用電子支付比率增

另一方面，是次調查希望了解不同電子支付平台在本地中、小學生之間的普及程度。結果顯示，95%學生表示以現金形式收取零用錢，反映現金仍然是最主要途徑；比率仍遠較有逾三成（32.7%）學生選取的「八達通或其他電子支付平台轉帳」形式為高。同時，仍然有超過一半（54.2%）學生表示現金是他們購物時最主要的付款方式，然而有關比率較2020年調查時近六成（59.3%）的結果有所下跌；而表示以電子支付為主要付款媒介的學生則較三年前有明顯增長，以八達通為主要購物支付媒介的學生有26%；以其他電子支付平台（如信用卡、支付寶或微信支付等）為主要支付媒介的則有7%，比率分別較2020年的調查上升八個百份點及四個百份點。公會相信，支付模式的轉變，與新冠疫情改變了市民的支付習慣，及政府以電子支付平台派發消費券有關。

港中小學生理財能力達「B級」

公會認為，實行儲蓄及記帳是實踐妥善理財的重要一步。有見及此，公會以學生的「儲蓄習慣」及「記帳習慣」（包括記錄儲蓄及消費）作為學生理財狀況的基礎指標，加上綜合調查所得之觀察，公會認為本港中、小學生理財能力達「B級」，顯示他們對金錢的來源與種類有基礎的認識、對基礎理財知識已有掌握、普遍學生有儲蓄習慣，惟記帳習慣仍有待進一步普及化。公會期望，透過持續觀察本港中、小學生的消費及理財習慣，了解他們的消費及付款模式，從而識別增強教育成效的方法，達到提升兒童及青少年理財知識水平的目標。

是次調查亦有了解學生的財政能力，發現受訪學生當中超過80%有零用錢，而當中約68%定期獲得零用錢。每星期所獲得零用錢平均金額方面，小四至小六為$51.8，中一至中三為$273.9，較2020年調查各自有約3%增長。除了零用錢，學生回應在一些特定情況可獲得額外收入。例如在農曆新年獲得利是（88.2%）、生日（67.4%）、其他節日或特別日子（27.1%）及功課或考試有好表現（26.2%）。另外，有超過四成學生（41.4%）表示，向家人提出要求時可額外獲得金錢。

公會相信，這次中小學生理財現況調查的統計數據，將有助社會不同持份者更了解學生的金錢觀及理財習慣。基於調查結果，公會建議家長及學校可以適時介入，運用生活例子或實驗方式，引導學童在消費前考慮想買的東西是否生活必需品及記帳，有助他們逐步培養量入為出的思維，以及「先儲蓄、後消費」的習慣，向學童灌輸「收入」及負責任消費的概念。

公會尤為關注是次調查發現有不少學童已經有借貸經驗，呼籲家長應以身作則，包括向適齡子女分享家庭的實際財政狀況，例如家庭開支、儲蓄及如何預算支出等，並在消費習慣上樹立榜樣，讓他們培養負責任的理財態度和習慣。

另外，經歷新冠疫情及政府以電子方式派發多輪消費券，電子付款逐漸發展成生活的一部份。然而，電子支付工具種類繁多，而且當中不涉及現金交易，或令學童更難掌握金錢概念。公會建議，家長及老師可向學生介紹電子支付工具的基本運作概念，推廣負責任消費。

作為專業會計組織及推動理財教育的其中一個先驅機構，公會將繼續致力實踐社會責任，透過推動多個企業社會責任項目，包括「窮小子、富小子」理財教育計劃，為公會會員提供平台，讓他們善用會計師獨有的專業知識及技能回饋社會，為香港培育懂得精明理財的下一代。

請於連結下載 《2023年中小學生理財現況調查報告》完整報告。

^{圖片一：香港會計師公會（「公會」）進行《中小學生理財現況調查》，了解本地中、小學生的消費及理財習慣，並提供建議以協助設計適合香港學生的理財教育。}

^{圖片二：香港會計師公會會長梁思傑表示，透過這次調查，公會希望了解學生的基礎理財素養，以及新冠疫情對學生的消費模式、理財習慣甚至生涯規劃的影響。根據調查所得，我們為學生提供理財建議，並呼籲不同持份者在理財教育上為學生提供相應支援。}

附錄：香港中小學生理財能力評級