At an unpredictable frequency a small newspaper is slipped under the front door of my Singaporean residence. This paper, titled “Today”, covers a variety of news items on Singapore that I mostly ignore. But the front page of the edition laying on my floor after my return from Australia caught my attention: “How loyal are Singaporeans?”
This article summarizes the results of a survey conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies. I do not know who this group is, so they are just as likely to be a wing of the Singaporean government as a subversive collection of Singapore’s enemies. But the questions seem fairly introspective and the results, while generally in great support of current policies, are not undisputedly so. Here are some interesting stats for those interested in how Singaporeans feel about their government.
Singaporeans are proud of:
- Singapore’s economic achievements: 93%
- Social security system: 88%
- Armed forces: 88%
Singaporeans are not proud of:
- Singapore’s achievements in sports: 48%
- Achievements in arts and literature: 54%
- The way democracy works in Singapore: 80%
This second set of numbers is a bit confusing to me. It is unclear if 48% of the population is ashamed of Singapore’s sports victories or if only 48% are proud of its victories, which means this is the accomplishment for which the fewest Singaporeans feel proud. Given the ascending values, I suspect the latter. This probably means that only 48% of people are proud of sports, which is the lowest number for all the questions asked. If I am right then no questions were asked that were supported by less than 48% of the audience.
Some other interesting statistics I pulled from the article:
- Four in 10 Singaporeans said they would not take a pay cut or pay heavier taxes for their country. Singaporeans pay income taxes of about 8-10% annually.
- 63% of Singaporeans think that national unity would be jeopardized should the immigration population become too large but 66% trust their government to increase the numbers of immigrants to serve an economic imperative.
- Only 8% of Singaporeans have expressed their views on public policy to the government.
This article’s release is timed to barely precede the National Day Parade (NDP) that kicks off on Monday, 9 August. It is unfortunate that I will miss the celebration–fireworks, military parade, and general holiday–as I will be serving my company’s stockholders and customers by traveling to Beijing.
Happy 45th birthday, Singapore. Sorry I will miss the party!