Hong Kong's ethnic minorities enjoy near-universal smartphone ownership, but only 55 per cent find government apps user-friendly, a study by the equality watchdog has found. It urges the government to use AI for multilingual support and simplify app registration.
Hong Kong's ethnic minority groups have near-universal access to smartphones but face hurdles with government apps, the Equal Opportunities Commission said in a study released on Thursday. EOC chairwoman Linda Lam Mei-sau stated: “The prevalence of digital usage among ethnic minority groups is high. But whether electronic devices truly support them in their daily lives, such as making transactions and accessing government welfare information, our research shows there is room for improvement.” A University of Hong Kong research team interviewed 412 ethnic minority members from July 2024 to March 2025 to assess their use of devices for public information, healthcare, social media and government apps. More than 99 per cent owned smartphones and used social media daily, described as “universal” by the team. However, only 55 per cent found information in government apps user-friendly. Over 60 per cent had registered for the Hospital Authority’s “HA Go” app, but just 25 per cent used it for booking appointments. Almost 60 per cent preferred walk-in or telephone bookings. Lam urged the government to harness AI for multilingual support and simplify app registration to bridge the digital divide.