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Residents in Hong Kong seem to be the least happy compared to those in Japan and Singapore, according to the latest region-wide Happiness Index survey conducted by the City University of Hong Kong.

The survey showed that people in Hong Kong scored only 6.98 (out of 10) in the Happiness Index. That’s down from the 7.32 that they had scored in a similar survey 10 years ago. Singapore had the highest overall score in the Happiness Index (7.56), closely followed by Japan (7.41), according to a press release from the university.

Conducted in January, the survey covered over 1,100 people from Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore each. A total of 3,468 questionnaires were later collected.

Mainland visitors took photos at the peak of Taiping Mountain in Hong Kong on July 19, 2014.

It asked them to assess the quality of their lives and their levels of satisfaction with regard to politics and society, economy, environment, public health, leisure and entertainment and housing.

As per the findings, Hong Kong residents, particularly those who aren’t native to the city, struggle with identity issues.

For 26-year-old Daren Leung Shi Chi, the city’s lack of engagement with ethnic minorities, even as their numbers continue to grow, is one reason that he believes Hong Kong is not exactly a happy place to live in.

Another obstacle for local residents is the continued rise in the cost of rent and basic goods, which in turn results in greater pressure to work longer hours just to make ends meet.

However, Dennis Wong, a professor from the City University, blames the unhappiness on the strained relationship between the residents and the city’s government.

“But the most important is the relationship between the legislature and also the administration and also the government and the people,” said Wong.

The last time Hong Kong was found to be the happiest was in 2006, when the people had a better relationship with the government, he added.

Many Hong Kong residents have reportedly been pressurizing the government to rein in the increasingly high visits of mainland visitors, which they say have resulted in price hikes.

In fact, just this Sunday, a group of demonstrators marched through shopping centers in Yuen Long in New Territories shouting for mainlanders to go home, according to local media reports.

In response, Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said on Tuesday that he will discuss with the central authorities measures to tighten arrangements under the Individual Visit Scheme for mainland tourists in March.