Think tank Institute of Policy Studies did a survey for Our Singapore Conversation exercise, interviewing 4,000 citizens face-to-face. Our Singapore Conversation is a year-long series of 660 dialogue sessions involving more than 47,000 Singaporeans. The survey aimed to get a glimpse of Singaporeans’ priorities, values and preferences. Below is a snapshot of the survey:

1. Singaporeans saw pace of life as a more important preference relative to career pursuits. 59% of the respondents chose a more comfortable pace of life over career advancement. The percentage increases to 61% for married couples and 62% for married couples with children.

2. 65% of respondents were optimistic about the future five years from now, a 1% decrease from the life satisfaction of Singaporeans in the present.

3. 47% of the respondents rejected gay lifestyles and marriage, while 26% of the respondents accepted them. More younger Singaporeans accepted gay lifestyles (34% for 15-19 yrs old; 35% for 20-34 yrs old) than the older Singaporeans (24% for 35-49 yrs old; 20% for 50-69 yrs old).

4. Only 33% of the respondents prefer to pay higher taxes to help the needy, while 42% wanted to keep taxes low.

5. Respondents were asked about their aspirations for Singapore in 20 years’ time, as well as their priorities for today. Job security, healthcare, and housing emerged as the priorities most frequently ranked in the Top 3.

Reference

Our Singapore Conversation Survey