Traditionally, respecting the elderly is a very important moral conduct in Chinese society. However, with the rapid aging population, the attitude of respecting and loving the elderly among different age groups in Chinese society is changing and it is important for us to understand where we are today.

Our Elderly & Health Core Business (ECB) together with Service Development & Research Core Business conducted a survey on 'Respect for the Elderly between the Young and the Middle-aged Adults in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Singapore' between July and October 2005. The survey found that the ranking of respectful behaviour within the three regions (from the highest to the lowest score) was Singapore, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, respectively. In terms of similarity among these three regions, the findings showed that 'visiting them in person' and 'having meal(s) at home' were the main respectful behaviours that the respondents performed towards their old family members. As for the difference, the Hong Kong and Guangzhou teenager respondents paid more attention to the maintenance of relationships and daily support than their Singaporean counterparts. On the contrary, Singaporean teenager respondents spent more effort on helping the elderly gain basic rights and social support. However, both teenagers and middle-aged adults in the three regions thought that the lack of 'communication skills,' 'financial ability' and 'time' were the key factors that limited them from showing respect towards the elderly. Besides, 9.4% Hong Kong teenagers did not think that this was their responsibility.

Based on above findings, we recommend three ways to strengthen the culture of respect in our society.

Firstly, the education of respect for the elderly should be strengthened through the family, the school and the government. Parents should demonstrate to their children to give respect and care to the elderly through daily family interaction. The school should educate the students to respect and love their elderly through daily life activities. (For example, ECB together with 22 nursery schools and primary schools have introduced "A Call A Day" Intergeneration Love and Care Award Scheme in which the students are encouraged to call one of their elders everyday). As for the government, a formal moral education should be introduced in the formal education curriculum, so that the students can be cultivated to respect and care for the elderly properly.

Secondly, social welfare institutions, schools and business sectors should work together to cultivate a respectful culture and environment in our society. For example, social welfare institutions can team up with schools to organize cross-generation activities to increase teenagers' communication skill with the elderly. Furthermore, business sectors should establish a family-friendly working environment to enable the employees to have adequate time and energy to take care of their elderly.

Finally, the government should accelerate the introduction of a basic retirement protection plan. The elderly will be ensured that they can enjoy an independent and respected life with a stable financial condition in the coming future.