Singapore scores better on Graciousness Index this year

A woman contemplates her purchase of coffee at Singapore Kindness Movement’s pop-up cafe outside One Raffles Place on 9 June 2014. The latest Graciousness Index on Wednesday gave Singapore a score of 55 this year, a slight recovery from 53 las
A woman contemplates her purchase of coffee at Singapore Kindness Movement’s pop-up cafe outside One Raffles Place on 9 June 2014. The latest Graciousness Index on Wednesday gave Singapore a score of 55 this year, a slight recovery from 53 last year. The higher the index, the more gracious a society is. -- PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - The latest Graciousness Index on Wednesday gave Singapore a score of 55 this year, a slight recovery from 53 last year. The higher the index, the more gracious a society is.

The annual study, commissioned by the Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM), polled 1,666 respondents last December and this January.

The higher score was mainly because of better ratings in the "experience" category - which is about people doing, receiving and witnessing gracious acts. Ratings in the "perception" category, which is about people's opinions of themselves and others, were similar to that last year.

SKM general secretary William Wan said: "This year's results show that we are a little more sensitive to gracious acts that go on around us than last year, but that our attitudes... have not similarly improved."

Another key finding of the survey was that heavy users of the Internet are more likely to believe that graciousness is necessary online.

Among those who use the Internet for more than 20 hours each week, 55 per cent believe graciousness is necessary online, and 80 per cent believe more needs to be done to educate people on gracious behaviour online.

This is significantly higher than the 25 per cent and 57 per cent respectively among those who use the Internet for fewer than two hours a week.

Added Dr Wan: "We are now demanding more civility, from others and ourselves. This shift in direction is good, but we all have a part to play in keeping things on track."

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