According to an annual survey conducted by government feedback unit REACH, most Singaporeans feel that the government has done a lot to help with the cost of living. The survey of 8,000 Singaporeans was done by face-to-face interviews with government officers.
“Many were concerned with the high cost of living in Singapore and remarked that this deterred some young Singaporeans from having big families or starting families. There was agreement that the Government is doing a lot to help.”
However, survey methodologies and exact results were left out, again, raising suspicions of the Singapore government falsifying survey results to forward a new policy directive.
You may view the survey result here.
The survey said that Singaporeans place cost of living as a major worry followed by employment prospects. Cost of living was identified as the sole factor behind low birth rate as Singaporeans do not have spare cash to set up a family.
Survey respondents commented that the government is not doing enough for the low income and poor, and called for subsidies to extend to daily necessities and groceries.
Singaporeans also responded that they are very bleak on employment prospects, with young graduates being unable to find a job upon graduation and elderly workers above the aged of 45 facing retrenchments. However, the survey also claimed that Singaporeans are choosy and should be realistic.
“Others felt that Singaporeans were just being choosy and that a more realistic attitude was required.”
The survey also said Singaporeans need a mindset shift and open up to training, and that Singaporeans need to “understand the rationale” of government scheme SkillsFuture. The survey concluded its findings telling Singaporeans to venture overseas, upgrade and put in more hours volunteering for the community:
“Singaporeans are encouraged to take advantage of Government programmes to seize new opportunities, be it through upgrading of skills, venturing overseas to access new business markets, or doing more to help society by volunteering. As outlined in the recently released Committee for the Future Economy report, we must seek to be pioneers of our own generation.”
Government surveys in Singapore is a key source of disinformation and fake news propagated by the government to manage population perception. In recent months, the government published several surveys with audacious claims like having public transport confidence reaching a 9-year-high and one that claimed Singaporeans are racist who vote a candidate based on race. However, the spread of fake news is ruled a criminal offense in Singapore and offenders face jail time and fine under the country’s media censorship laws.