The Basic and Psychological Needs of Adult Refugees in Hong Kong: A Preliminary Report

The problems faced by refugees in Hong Kong are seldom reported and understood by the general population. Through Maslow's hierarchy of needs, this preliminary report aims to explore the views of adult refugees on the support provided by the Hong Kong government, and whether these supports meet their basic and psychological needs or not. Purposive sampling method was used to recruit five adult refugees for an in-depth interview. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcripts of the interview. The results showed that the assistance from the government are able to meet their basic needs but not their psychological needs. Some express their psychological needs to move forward but feel helpless due to the policy that they are not permitted to find a job or study. It is suggested the government to revise the policy from a short-term to a long-term consideration, as many of them have been staying in Hong Kong for a long period of time, and some of them even have set up their own family in Hong Kong.