Future perceptions of Israeli and Hong Kong young adults

Abstract

The current study aimed at exploring the future perceptions of young adults living in Israel and in Hong Kong focusing on three aspects: (a) time horizon, i.e., the longest time into the future participants could envision themselves, (b) the domains in which their future perceptions were focused in and (c) their emotions towards their perceived future. Participants were 20 undergraduate students: 10 from Israel and 10 from Hong Kong. They took part in a semi-structured interview. Although in both samples the majority indicated a time horizon of 3-10 years, a wide range of time horizon was expressed by participants. Also, the Israeli participants reported a narrower range of time horizon than the Hong Kong participants. Four life domains in which participants envisioned themselves were reported by both samples: (a) work, (b) family and relationships, (c) education, and (d) leisure. Nonetheless, some variations in the content of these domains were apparent among the two cultural groups. Despite the certain variations which were found in their future perceptions, the two groups expressed both positive as well as negative feelings towards their perceived future. However, it seems that the Israeli participants were, as a group, more positive. Since the two groups were different primarily in their nationality, religion, and age, it is possible to conclude that these variables contributed to the variations in their future perceptions. Implication for research and practice are discussed.