Startups x Careers: Hong Kong Youth Aspirations Report, released on 26 March 2026, shows that although local university students have considerable enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, they face significant structural, cultural and information barriers.
The study, conducted by Innovative Incubation Centre under Rita Tong Liu School of Business and Hospitality Management at SFU, surveyed 300 students in business, education, science and other disciplines at the eight publicly funded universities in Hong Kong. It covers entrepreneurial interest, career preferences, confidence in Hong Kong's startup ecosystem, perceptions of Greater Bay Area (GBA) opportunities, and awareness of government support.
Among the respondents, 80% indicated an interest in starting a business but only 48% would choose to work in a startup. The biggest obstacle, they believed, would be family pressure since entrepreneurship is widely viewed as a "risky, nonpreferred career path". Inadequate entrepreneurial conditions, including limited funding, insufficient entrepreneurial skills and a lack of market knowledge, are also evident.
The study reveals that university students lack confidence in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, with 56% of the respondents holding a neutral view of Hong Kong's innovation and technology support. They remained cautiously neutral towards entrepreneurship in the GBA, without viewing GBA opportunities as a clear advantage. Over 80% of respondents considered access to incubation programmes insufficiently convenient and 93% indicated government support had little influence on their decision to start a business.
Innovative Incubation Centre recommends that universities strengthen youth's confidence in Hong Kong's entrepreneurial environment through a range of measures, such as enhancing students' practical entrepreneurial skills, promoting stories of successful young entrepreneurs, raising recognition of start-up careers, and showcasing improvements in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. It also calls for enhanced GBA cross border startup support for young entrepreneurs amidst limited awareness of government support policy.