Hong Kong - More than one in three Hong Kong youngsters are dissatisfied with life and more than one in 10 would consider self-mutilation, a survey into young people's attitudes found Monday.

The survey of 1,800 people aged 12 to 25 found that 10 per cent were unhappy with their lives while another 25 per cent considered their lives to be "just so-so."

Boys aged 12 to 17 were the least happy with 12 per cent describing their lives as unhappy compared to 9 per cent of girls in the same age bracket, the survey by a social welfare group found.

Asked how they coped with difficult situations, boys said they played computer games, slept and listened to music while girls sad they chatted to friends, listened to music and slept.

Researchers reported that 10.5 per cent of respondents overall said they would turn to self-mutilation in the face of difficulties while 8.3 per cent said they would turn to violence.

The survey coincided with the launch of a campaign by welfare groups in Hong Kong called Happiness. net to try to encourage more positive attitudes to life among young people.

Hong Kong has a relatively high rate of youth suicide in global terms and sociologists say the problem is rooted in a lack of communication between youngsters and workaholic parents. (dpa)