Six in 10 young Singaporeans have considered leaving the country to fulfill their dreams

Six in 10 young people have considered looking beyond Singapore to achieve their dreams, said a newly released Singapore Polytechnic survey.

Their top reasons for having considered going overseas included the high cost of living here, having more opportunities and a slower pace of life overseas. Respondents were not asked to specify if they were leaving for good or just for a period of time to work or study overseas.

The survey also polled young people on their hopes for Singapore. They listed three priorities: An affordable place to live in, a society that defines success beyond academic and material achievements and a more fulfilling pace of life, which could include having a slower pace of life.

Nearly all of the 825 people polled in the survey said strong relationships with their families, work-life balance, and financial stability were their top three aspirations. The survey of respondents aged 15 to 35 was conducted over three weeks last June by second-year students from the school's diploma course in media and communication.

Results also showed that young people who had a more global outlook also tended to spend more time online using social media platforms like Facebook and Youtube, compared to their peers who had not thought about leaving the country. The latter group, according to the survey, were more likely to use more traditional media like television and newspapers.

Some 107 students were involved with the research last year, and the survey is part of a module they take called mass media research which trains them in methods to conduct surveys. Students from the course have done more than 10 surveys since 2002, on topics such as the use of social media and cyberbullying.

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