• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

An ageing population? – Part 4

by onlinecitizen
17/02/2012
in Community, Current Affairs
Reading Time: 16 mins read
0

~by: Gordon Lee~

Welcome to the last part of this article. In the previous three parts, I have hopefully shown that an ageing population is not as bad as this Government would have you believe. This issue has been unfortunately politicised to serve certain political imperatives, and has become a part of the collective consciousness of this country.

In Part Three, I suggested that falling birthrates are a natural response to social and economic changes, and that policies designed to reverse falling birthrates are instead worsening the conditions causing the phenomenon. I also outlined how this Government’s “war” on females and the elderly is extremely unhealthy.

Now, in Part Four, I intend to not only show that an ageing population is not bad, but also to suggest some potential benefits of an ageing population. Hopefully, this will add a different perspective and depth to the public debate.

Volunteering

Older people can be more involved in volunteering than other age groups – as illustrated by research conducted in Australia [1], the Netherlands, Finland and France [2].

Whilst this may not currently be the case in Singapore, this Government can learn from best practices around the world to encourage older people to not only work past retirement, but also to contribute to society through volunteering. This Government can also look at removing some of the obstacles to volunteering by older people, and prevent the social exclusion which many older people face. This is active ageing which benefits both the old, and society at large. Ideas such as a national body or programme to encourage volunteering by older people, or a fund to support such programmes – can help create a healthy old, a healthy mind, and a healthy society.

Although volunteering does not contribute to GDP figures, they do create value in society because the work they do is useful. Simply put, if a volunteer and a paid staff undertakes the same work, the same value is created. The only difference is that the work of the volunteer does not show up in GDP figures, but the work done by the paid staff does. The value created by volunteering was estimated at £41bn for the UK in 1995 [3], and $41bn for Australia in 1997 [4].

Crime

There is also reason to believe that an ageing population is responsible for falling crime rates around the world – be it in the US [5], Canada [6] or New Zealand [7]. This is not only socially beneficial, but in terms of public finances, it also reduces the costs of policing and incarceration.

A happier population

Studies suggest that the old are happier than the rest of the population [8][9][10]. It is also said that being around happy people makes us happy – which means a happier and more satisfied society at large.

Other social benefits

Older people also benefit those around them by being able to provide experience, wisdom, practical and financial help – not least since the old today are healthier and wealthier than ever before. They also help to constitute an experienced workforce that is valued in a world of work that is no longer as manual or physically demanding as they once were.

The older generation is, in many ways, a social asset and resource that should be valued, not “blamed”.

Conclusion

I am concerned that most of the “debate” surrounding an ageing population seems to be an inability (or refusal) to see changes as a transition rather than a crisis. Lee Kuan Yew said, “Less young people means less sales of new cars, new stereos, new computers, new iPhones, iPads, new clothes, and fine dining.”[11] But I am not sure if he understands that this is merely an economy in transition, with consumption patterns changing such that we will instead see more golf clubs, more smart elderly-friendly technology (such as mobility devices), more leisure and recreation, more Internet shopping, more spending by grandparents on grandchildren, etc.

Instead of trying to fight an ageing population, perhaps this Government should instead focus its energy on making Singapore more elderly-friendly, making the economy more responsive to the demands of a changing and ageing local and international economy, and making it easier to capture and enhance the benefits of an ageing population.


[1] http://www.tai.org.au/documents/dp_fulltext/DP63.pdf, p. ix

[2] http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2011/34/en/1/EF1134EN.pdf, pp. 14-16

[3] http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/sp110.pdf, p. 2

[4] http://www.tai.org.au/documents/dp_fulltext/DP63.pdf, p. ix

[5] http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/20/crime.statistics/index.html

[6] http://www.csc–scc.gc.ca/text/pblct/forum/e123/123h_e.pdf, p. 30

[7] http://www.3news.co.nz/Reduced–crime–rate–thanks–to–ageing–population–says–professor/tabid/423/articleID/228141/Default.aspx

[8] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7295954/We–are–happiest–at-74-says–new–report.html

[9] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/health/research/01happy.html

[10] http://www.economist.com/node/17722567

[11] http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120204-0000041/Singapore–needs–to–accept–immigrants


Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

 

 

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.

Related Posts

Minister Tan See Leng only reveals 500 intra-corporate transferees from India for last year – a Covid year
Opinion

Increasing number of working Permanent Residents in Singapore but with a stable PR population

03/02/2023
Opinion

A multi-party parliament is the only way to make sure that Singapore continues to not condone or tolerate corruption

03/02/2023
Anwar criticised over appointing own daughter as his senior advisor
Malaysia

Anwar criticised over appointing own daughter as his senior advisor

03/02/2023
Level of unemployment in Indonesia shows failure in the Job Creation Law, says KSPI
Indonesia

Level of unemployment in Indonesia shows failure in the Job Creation Law, says KSPI

02/02/2023
Commentaries

The Keppel bribery scandal tests Singapore’s zero-tolerance policy towards corruption

02/02/2023
Singapore Law Watch removes commentary on CPIB’s decision to not prosecute former Keppel executives
Singapore

Singapore Law Watch removes commentary on CPIB’s decision to not prosecute former Keppel executives

02/02/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

Minister Tan See Leng only reveals 500 intra-corporate transferees from India for last year – a Covid year

Increasing number of working Permanent Residents in Singapore but with a stable PR population

03/02/2023

A multi-party parliament is the only way to make sure that Singapore continues to not condone or tolerate corruption

03/02/2023
Anwar criticised over appointing own daughter as his senior advisor

Anwar criticised over appointing own daughter as his senior advisor

03/02/2023
Level of unemployment in Indonesia shows failure in the Job Creation Law, says KSPI

Level of unemployment in Indonesia shows failure in the Job Creation Law, says KSPI

02/02/2023

The Keppel bribery scandal tests Singapore’s zero-tolerance policy towards corruption

02/02/2023
Singapore Law Watch removes commentary on CPIB’s decision to not prosecute former Keppel executives

Singapore Law Watch removes commentary on CPIB’s decision to not prosecute former Keppel executives

02/02/2023
US businesses ‘fear internet curbs in Hong Kong’

Hong Kong offers free flights after COVID isolation

02/02/2023
Why is Gautam Adani’s Indian empire in turmoil?

Why is Gautam Adani’s Indian empire in turmoil?

02/02/2023

Trending posts

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

by Yee Loon
30/01/2023
25

...

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

by Yee Loon
26/01/2023
24

...

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

by Augustine Low
01/02/2023
33

...

Two Indian nationals paid about S$330 and S$730 respectively for forged certificates submitted in their S-Pass application

MOM found issuing EPs meant for foreign PMETs to PRC waitress and general worker

by Correspondent
26/01/2023
41

...

Singapore warns slower economic growth in 2023

Less than 1 in 10 jobs created in first three quarters of 2022 went to Singaporeans?

by Leong Szehian
28/01/2023
69

...

Excessively charging for an essential need, and calling it affordable because people still can pay for it?

by Terry Xu
31/01/2023
39

...

February 2012
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
272829  
« Jan   Mar »

The Online Citizen is a regional online publication based in Taiwan and formerly Singapore’s longest-running independent online media platform.

Navigation

  • Editorial
  • Commentaries
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Community

Support

  • Contact Us
  • Letter submission
  • Membership subscription

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Fact Checking Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

wpDiscuz