According to a survey commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), it is revealed that 90 per cent of people that were polled in 2018 were proud to be Singaporeans, while 80 per cent agreed that Singapore is a caring and cohesive society.
The findings also showed that eight in 10 Singaporeans were satisfied with race and religious relations in 2018, while two in three agreed that there were enough opportunities to interact with people of different backgrounds and beliefs.
The topline findings of the annual survey were revealed for the first time by Minister Grace Fu on Tuesday (22 January) in a wide-ranging interview on her ministry’s work last year.
The Social Pulse Survey, which has been carried out annually since 2016, involved 500 face-to-face interviews conducted monthly with residents aged 15 and above from randomly selected households. They were asked for their opinions on matters such as sports, arts, culture and community living, MCCY said.
Ms Fu also spoke about how a shared heritage as well as sports and arts programmes have brought Singaporeans from different backgrounds together.
“Our bid to have hawker culture listed in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage is one effort to galvanise Singaporeans to recognise a culture that is so common to our daily lives that we have sometimes taken it for granted. Hawker culture is a daily living experience for many, if not all, Singaporeans. It is actually enjoyed and participated by all races, all backgrounds,” she said.
In addition to that, Ms Fu also pointed out the increased level of giving among Singaporeans – both in terms of people volunteering their time and resources.
One in three Singaporeans volunteered in 2016, up from one in 10 in 2000, she said. In 2017, the amount of tax-deductible donations increased from S$866 million to S$1.05 billion.
Upon reading the survey’s result, many netizens have expressed that they’re proud to be Singaporeans.
However, although a lot of them are proud to be Singaporeans, but they have opined that they don’t like the current ruling party.
