Forum: The Edelman trust survey is a mirror Singapore cannot afford to ignore

I refer to the article “Growing insularity in S’pore amid economic anxiety, worries about the future: Edelman trust survey” (March 24). The survey results should prompt Singaporeans to ask a harder question: Is rising insularity a cause of their social difficulties, or a symptom of something deeper?

I suggest it is largely the latter. When the trust gap between high- and low-income Singaporeans widens from 7 percentage points in 2012 to 16 points today, it shows that inequality is not just an economic condition – it is becoming a social one. People who feel left behind worry about more than just money. They grow wary of those who are different, sceptical of institutions that seem to serve others, and suspicious of a globalisation that appears to benefit some more than others.

The finding that 37 per cent would accept higher prices to reduce foreign company presence is striking. It is tempting to read this as protectionism. But it more likely reflects the feeling among lower-wage workers that the gains of an open economy have not reached them.

Meanwhile, higher-income Singaporeans practise their own form of insularity through choice of school, neighbourhood and social circle, rarely encountering the Singapore that the other half inhabits. The country speaks of one people, but the data suggests it is becoming two publics with divergent experiences and shrinking common ground.

The good news is that employers retain strong public trust. Companies willing to act – through fair wages, diverse hiring, and visible community investment through corporate social initiatives – can do what policy alone cannot: rebuild everyday, ground-level trust.

The survey is a mirror, and while the reflection is uncomfortable, Singaporeans should not look away.

Tan Kok Heng