Straits Times editor-at-large Han Fook Kwang astutely points out that most people do not realise how quickly Singapore is changing (Singapore is changing faster than you think, July 4).

Are we adapting quickly enough?

Sociologist Matilda Riley's concept of "structural lag" is useful here. It refers to a situation in which societal structures fail to adapt to new characteristics of later-born cohorts.

She argued that while older people now live longer and healthier lives, many societies fail to provide them with meaningful opportunities.

Rather, social institutions and policies remain stuck in the past, organised around rigid age boundaries and outdated notions of what older persons are capable of.

For example, retirement ages may be set too low, or employers may refuse job applicants due to ageist mindsets.

Singapore is especially at risk of structural lag, given its brisk development after gaining independence in 1965.

For instance, some have pointed out that since an increasing proportion of babies are of mixed race, policies relying on the CMIO (Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others) model, such as the Ethnic Integration Policy, are becoming more contrived.

I have two suggestions to counter structural lag. First, we must stop relying on the notion that what has worked before will continue to work.

For instance, filial piety is worth promoting, but how sustainable is our heavy reliance on children to provide care and financial support as more older adults remain without a spouse or children?

Does the Ethnic Integration Policy - to ensure a balanced mix of ethnic groups in HDB estates - really fulfil its goals of integration if it does not apply to non-residents, who now form a large proportion of Singapore's population?

Rather than try to defend and justify existing policies, we should start by assuming they will quickly become inadequate.

Second, Singapore needs to involve more nimble analysts - from academia, civil society and other members of the public - in understanding the drivers and consequences of these complex demographic trends.

The Government can commit to co-creating policy by releasing more data.

Publicly available data currently remains too highly aggregated for concerned citizens to provide nuanced viewpoints, and may be unnecessarily prohibitive for young scholars and students to embark on projects relevant to Singapore's future.

Rapid demographic change may seem like an oncoming storm, but with all hands on deck, we can anticipate and prepare for it.

Shannon Ang (Dr)