S’pore society becoming more caring: Survey
TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — Singapore society is gradually becoming a more caring one, with people valuing relationships with others, peace and caring for the environment compared to three years ago, according to a study.
The National Values Assessment, conducted by aAdvantage Consulting Group and UK's Barrett Values Centre, polled 2,000 Singapore citizens and permanent residents earlier this year, asking them which words best reflect Singapore society today, what they desire of the country, and what best reflects who they are. The results were released at a closed door discussion organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) today (July 23).
They found shifts in perceptions among respondents – residents no longer perceive that the country has deteriorating values, is elitist, or hold uncertainty about the future here, as was the case three years ago. Instead, they describe Singapore as a country that has peace, educational opportunities and effective healthcare.
The findings indicate that people are experiencing and acknowledging improvements in these areas, said Mr Phil Clothier, chief executive officer of Barrett Values Centre, at the media briefing and closed door discussion on the survey results.
However, he noted that there is a disconnect between how they describe themselves compared to how they view society. While respondents describe themselves with words such as caring, responsibility, honesty, compassion and positive attitude, words used for society were more negative and include “kiasu”, “kiasi” competitive, materialistic, self-centered and blame - which were also selected three years ago. This could mean that people are unaware that they may not be acting on their values, he said.
As for what they desire in Singapore society, affordable housing, caring for the elderly and disadvantaged, compassion, employment opportunities, quality of life and effective healthcare, still rank high, similar to the 2012 study. On the other hand, two new values emerged - peace and caring for environment, while equal opportunities and social responsibility did not make this year’s list.
Mr Clothier said it could be instructive to find out how recent changes in policies and implementation in these areas have resulted in positive outcomes and what remains challenging.
At the workplace, half of the values respondents picked showed their perceived their workplace to be focused on building high performance, such as brand image, long hours, results orientation, professionalism and achievement. Perceptions of workplaces being focused on cost reduction and having long hours remain - which are "potentially limiting values and behaviours" that could create negative energy if continued to a certain extent, noted Mr Clothier.
Employees picked values focused on building healthy and sustainable relationships when asked what they desire in their workplace, such as employee recognition, caring, respect and teamwork.
Mr Vincent Ho, director of aAdvantage Consulting Group, said the study is meant to obtain preliminary insights into what matters to residents here, and hopefully generate discussion of key areas society can work on.
