Most Hong Kong fathers think feeding and housing their children is more important than giving them hugs and kisses, according to surveys released to mark Father's Day on Sunday. 

More than two-thirds of fathers said in one survey they do not believe the most important thing is to love their children, the South China Morning Post reported.

Forty-five percent of 700 fathers in Hong Kong polled by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said financial security was more important than loving children.

Nearly one in five said they raised children to "make their own lives more interesting."

Among the usual crop of local surveys to mark Father's Day, another found that Hong Kong parents do not spend enough time with their children.

More than half of the 422 fathers involved in a study by the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood said they spent less than 15 minutes a day talking to their children.

Among celebrities, canto-pop star Jacky Cheung Hok-yau topped a list of ideal fathers named by 230 children responding to the same survey.

He gained 23.5 percent of the vote. This was followed by comedian Eric Tsang Chi-wai, action superstar Jackie Chan and tycoon Li Ka-shing.

(China Daily/Agencies June 20, 2005)