Senior households form a third of HDB residents, up from one-quarter in 2018

SINGAPORE – Close to one in three HDB households is now a senior household, up from one in four in 2018.

Among all senior households – ones where the decision-maker is aged 65 years and older – 85.9 per cent want to continue living in their existing flat rather than moving, for instance, to a smaller flat.

The proportion of those who prefer to stay where they are has remained consistent since 2018.

Even if they require help with daily living, most seniors prefer to remain in their own home with caregiving from family members, domestic helpers, or professional support, according to the Housing Board’s 12th Sample Household Survey, which was published on Nov 27.

The survey takes stock of residents’ sentiments once every five years and was first carried out in 1968.

The latest survey was carried out between October 2023 and April 2024. It involved 7,023 households and, in a first for the survey, occupiers of HDB flats who are single. A total of 1,661 single occupiers were surveyed, giving the HDB an insight to the housing aspirations of this demographic.

HDB said that the respondents comprised households living in HDB sold and rental flats, and that the randomly selected sample was designed to draw inferences from residents living in various HDB towns or estates and flat types.

As at 2023, 3.18 million Singapore residents – including citizens and permanent residents – lived in HDB flats, forming 1.1 million households. Of these, 15.6 per cent were one-person households, up from 12.6 per cent in 2018.

About 95 per cent of HDB households owned their flats.

Overall, the median age of HDB residents grew to 42.8 years in 2023, up from 40.8 in 2018 and 38.6 in 2013.

Correspondingly, the proportion of seniors within the HDB resident population has also grown, with those aged 65 and above making up 18.2 per cent of the population in 2023, up from 14 per cent in 2018 and 10.4 per cent in 2013.

In 2023, seniors aged 65 and above made up 17.3 per cent of the resident population.

Among senior households, 65.1 per cent preferred to continue living in their current homes if they require assistance with daily living, whether in the form of professional support, a caregiving relative, or a domestic helper.

A further 18.2 per cent said they would prefer to move in with their children, while 16 per cent would choose to live in an institution such as elderly homes or assisted living developments.

Like in 2018, 14.1 per cent of senior households wanted to move out of their current homes in future, citing reasons such as right-sizing to smaller flats for easier maintenance, and wanting to cash out to supplement their income.

The 85.9 per cent who intend to continue living in their existing flats gave reasons such as comfort and emotional attachment to their homes, said the HDB.

When asked about their preferred housing type for old age, half of the senior households surveyed said they preferred either a two- (21.5 per cent) or three-room (28.8 per cent) flat.

In particular, the proportion of seniors who preferred two-room flats almost doubled from 11.8 per cent in the 2018 survey.

Of the remaining flat types, 23.2 per cent of senior households in the latest survey preferred four-room flats, 13.7 per cent preferred five-room or larger flats, 1.3 per cent preferred one-room flats, while the rest preferred other housing types, such as private homes and community care apartments.

Data from the Singapore Department of Statistics shows that among the country’s resident population in 2023 aged 65 and up, 8 per cent lived in one- or two-room flats, 19.3 per cent in three-room flats, 30.8 per cent in four-room flats, and 22.7 per cent in five-room or larger flats.

Of the others, 8.9 per cent lived in condominiums or other apartments, 7.9 per cent in landed homes, and 2.5 per cent in other types of dwellings. The percentages do not add up to 100 due to rounding.

Dr Tan Ern Ser, an adjunct principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, suggested that more two-room flexi flats with shorter leases and easy access to more care amenities could be built, in response to seniors’ preferred flat types for old age.

How many to build would depend on population and demographic projections, he added.

Noting seniors’ preference to either age in place or right-size, Mr Eugene Lim, key executive officer of ERA Singapore, suggested that additional grants could be extended to seniors who choose to buy a two-room flexi unit within the same estate or block as their current homes, which may also help to smoothen the right-sizing process for them.

Professor Paulin Straughan, director of the Centre for Research on Successful Ageing at the Singapore Management University, said that senior households’ increasing preference to age in smaller flats reflects a broader shift in parents’ expectations of their children.

In the 1970s to 1990s, she said, it was more common for parents to expect their married children to live with and take care of them.

Prof Straughan added that such expectations have shifted over time, as many flats are not large enough to accommodate multi-generational families, and couples also prefer to cultivate their marriage in the privacy of their own homes.

“Seniors are telling us that, realistically, they don’t expect their children to live with them,” she said.

Prof Straughan added that with more seniors preferring and expected to age in place – and possibly away from their children – more could be done to ensure their social and emotional needs can be met.

To this end, she said, it is important for housing projects to be designed to support neighbourliness, and also to have common spaces that allow for organic bonding to take place.

Proximity to relatives

The survey found that 64.5 per cent of married HDB residents aged 54 and younger lived with, within the same estate, or in an estate close to their parents, up from 57.4 per cent in 2018.

Married residents who lived closer to their parents were more likely to visit them frequently.

For instance, 75.1 per cent of those who lived within the same estate as their parents visited them at least once a week, compared with 63.8 per cent of those who lived in a nearby estate, and 45.9 per cent of those who lived elsewhere in Singapore.

Overall, more than eight in 10 HDB residents said they were satisfied with the distance between their homes and their parents’ homes.

Among married residents aged 54 and younger, 86.1 per cent said they were satisfied with where they lived in relation to their parents, while 88 per cent of parents aged 55 and older were satisfied with where they lived in relation to their married children.

These findings, said the HDB, affirm its policies that support extended families to live with or near one another.

It added that the findings reflect the impact of policies such as Proximity Housing Grant and priority schemes that help family members stay close to one another and remain connected.

Mr Lim noted that with intergenerational proximity likely to become increasingly important in the coming years, policies that encourage families to live close to one another may be tweaked – for instance, by increasing the Proximity Housing Grant quantum.

He cautioned that such a move could drive up resale prices if sellers “price in” increased subsidies into their asking price, adding that policymakers will hence need to balance increased financial support – if any – and price stability.

Estate facilities

Generally, HDB households were satisfied with amenities in their neighbourhoods, with satisfaction levels exceeding 90 per cent for most facilities such as retail shops and markets.

Areas where satisfaction fell shy of the 90 per cent mark included sports facilities (87.8 per cent), recreational and leisure facilities (89 per cent), precinct facilities such as covered linkways and drop-off points (89.6 per cent) and financial facilities (86.6 per cent).

Households were also asked how often they used each facility, and commercial facilities – including retail shops and eating houses – were the most used.

The survey found that supermarkets were more popular than wet or dry markets, with 79.4 per cent of households going to the supermarket at least once a week, compared with 61 per cent for wet and dry markets.

This was likely due to the convenience and wider variety available in supermarkets, said the HDB.

Compared with 2018, more households used neighbourhood parks and roof or sky gardens at least once a week in the 2023/2024 survey.

The board said that this reflects a greater focus on outdoor activities and an awareness of the mental health benefits offered by green spaces.

HDB added that its findings will guide its planning and provision of estate facilities, to meet changing demographics and lifestyle needs.

Neighbourly relations

On the whole, 94.4 per cent of the households surveyed said they were satisfied with neighbourly relations.

Across various types of interactions with their neighbours, an overwhelming majority engaged in low intensity interactions such as greeting one another (99.2 per cent) or engaging in casual conversation (98.3 per cent), while 64.8 per cent exchanged gifts on special occasions or visited each other, and 29.1 per cent communicated through group chats.

In terms of serving the community, 69.3 per cent of the residents in the 2023/2024 survey said they did so, compared with 40.2 per cent in 2018.

The most common types of service included keeping common areas clean, and helping their neighbours with tasks such as receiving parcels and watering plants.

A higher proportion of residents also met their neighbours in common spaces within their blocks in 2023/2024 (87.2 per cent), compared with 2018 (83.8 per cent). Such spaces included corridors, lift lobbies and void decks.

Working from home

Bearing in mind lifestyle changes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the latest survey included a new topic on remote work and home-based learning arrangements.

HDB said that given their relevance to the planning of housing developments, the findings focused on core indicators that directly inform its understanding of evolving residential needs.

Findings show that 40.2 per cent of HDB households had worked remotely or participated in home-based learning.

Of these, 81.6 per cent of households indicated that they were satisfied with the working or learning conditions at home, citing reasons such as a peaceful home environment with minimal noise, as well as time and money savings from commuting.

HDB said that the Sample Household Surveys it has conducted over the years have helped to shape housing policies and flat designs to keep pace with Singapore’s evolving demographics and lifestyles.

It added that the latest survey will guide the provision of flat types, as well as inform the planning and design of HDB estates.

Commenting on the findings of the latest survey, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said in a statement that moving forward, HDB will “study further policy refinements to better address the needs of Singaporeans, including married couples and singles”.

Dr Tan, who chaired the advisory panel for the latest survey, said its results show that HDB has continued to do well “not only in terms of housing provisions beyond just catering to nuclear families, but also enhancing liveability, catering to residents’ everyday needs and facilitating community building”. He suggested that the board could do more to improve last-kilometre convenience for Singapore’s ageing population, and also enhance playgrounds for young children.

More sports amenities, green spaces and intergenerational playgrounds where families can play together will also help strengthen family ties, he said.