Singaporeans are more ready for a non-Chinese prime minister, according to the latest YouGov survey, as more than three in five Singaporeans agree with the statement, "I believe Singapore is ready to have a qualified, ethnic minority prime minister".

On the other hand, some 15 per cent of Singaporeans believe Singapore is not ready yet, while 22 per cent said Singapore will never be ready or were unsure of their answer.

However, younger Singaporeans are more likely to say that Singapore is ready for an ethnic minority prime minister than the older generations.

In addition, non-Chinese Singaporeans are more likely to say that Singapore is ready for a non-Chinese prime minister than Chinese Singaporeans.

YouGov interviewed 1,000 Singapore citizens aged 21 and above between Sep. 8 and 11, 2023, in the wake of Tharman Shanmugaratnam being elected as the ninth president.

Generation gap

When asked which statement described their view on the future of Singapore's politics, 76 and 73 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials responded that they believe "Singapore is ready to have a qualified, ethnic minority prime minister".

This is compared to 57 per cent of Gen X, 54 per cent of Merdeka, and 57 per cent of Pioneer generations surveyed who are "not entirely against the idea and are more likely to indicate Singapore will be ready in the future".

The survey results suggest that while Singapore is "on the journey to racial inclusivity, there is still some more way to go before it becomes a post-race society", said YouGov.

Malay Singaporeans more ready for non-Chinese prime minister

When the response is broken down by ethnicity, a large majority, 73 per cent, of Malay Singaporeans surveyed believe that Singapore is ready to have a "qualified, ethnic minority prime minister".

Some 68 per cent of Indian Singaporeans and 67 per cent of others also agree that Singapore is ready for a non-Chinese prime minister.

However, only 60 per cent of Chinese Singaporeans agree with the statement, with 17 per cent believing Singapore is not ready yet, but will be in the future.

There is still a divide among the Chinese Singaporeans surveyed.

Millennials and Gen Zs are significantly more likely to believe Singapore is ready for a non-Chinese prime minister than the Gen X, Merdeka and Pioneer generations.

Top photos via PMO