Most residents satisfied with relationship with neighbours but face barriers to interaction: Survey

SINGAPORE – Most respondents in the latest Graciousness Survey were satisfied with their relationship with neighbours, but the vast majority, or 83 per cent, said they faced barriers to interacting with them. 

Reasons include coming home at different times, closed doors and not knowing what to say to each other – a common sentiment among younger people – according to survey results that were released on Sept 21.

The Graciousness Survey is conducted annually by the Singapore Kindness Movement to track graciousness and neighbourliness in Singapore.

The latest survey was conducted in January 2024 and involved a representative sample of 1,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents.

There has been an improvement in graciousness in online spaces over the last six months, although respondents feel that more education on gracious online behaviour is still needed, the survey found.

Neighbours have been more willing to offer and accept small acts of help and reduce unintentional noise, and are more likely to inform one another of noise-producing activities ahead of time.

More residents are also open to resolving issues directly with their neighbours, rather than resorting to seeking assistance through official avenues.

These improvements come as the Government on Aug 12 announced it would be

setting up a unit to resolve serious neighbourly disputes

related to noise or hoarding.

Officers under the new Community Relations Unit will be able to issue a direction requiring neighbours to go for mediation, or install noise sensors in homes to collect data on the direction, timing and intensity of noise after obtaining consent from residents in the affected units.

Across different kinds of neighbourly behaviour, the most common which were cited as “important” were: not smoking in common areas or near windows, balconies or other areas; playing their part to keep common spaces clean and tidy; and keeping noise levels down, especially at night.

The survey results were released at the annual OneService Kakis (OSK) appreciation event held at the Ministry of National Development (MND), where 47 people were recognised by the Municipal Services Office (MSO) – a unit under MND – for their efforts in improving living conditions in neighbourhoods.

The OSK network was set up in 2021 to cultivate an informed and active pool of community stakeholders to address municipal issues. The network now has about 3,700 “kakis” (Malay for “friends”).

One of the recipients of an award at the appreciation event, Mr Johny Tan, 38, chairman of Boon Lay Zone D Residents’ Network, led a project that was completed in March 2024 to address issues such as corridor clutter, littering at void decks and obstruction of pathways.

Called the Heartland Kindness Mural, the project involved painting murals around the neighbourhood to promote considerate behaviour among residents.

Residents were invited to bond over painting the murals together with artist Joycelyn Wong, also known as mslatenightjam.

Mr Tan organised tours for about 100 residents to view the murals.

He said that “we have been using fines, and we’ve been using punishment as a way to get people to conform to the behaviour, and it has not been very effective. So why not try the other way? So that’s why I mooted the Heartland Kindness Mural (series)”.

The murals have lifted the mood of seniors living in the estate and helped to beautify the neighbourhood, said Mr Tan.

Senior Minister of State for National Development and Foreign Affairs Sim Ann commended the “kakis” for their contributions.

“Social norms evolve all the time. With close collaboration between the Government and the community, we can encourage norms that promote greater harmony and cohesion in the neighbourhood, and support efforts to maintain a pleasant living environment for all,” she said.

Keeping noise down at basketball courts

Students at Temasek Polytechnic (TP) piloted a project to get basketball court users in Bishan to leave the courts by the 9.30pm closing time to reduce noise that would disturb residents.

The students trialled a range of different messages to nudge users to leave the courts on time. The project was done between July and September 2024.

Speaking to reporters about the project, Dr Tan Wah Pheow, 46, head of TP’s Centre for Applied Behavioural Sciences, said that the students involved in the project found that the most effective messaging involved stating simple visual cues.

This included the use of a countdown clock – a tri-coloured device resembling a traffic light. 

Before 9.15pm, users are shown the “green light” to play on, but at 9.15pm, the amber light appears, nudging them to start packing up. At 9.30pm, the red light comes on, and the users have to leave the court. 

The pilot project was part of a collaboration between TP and the MSO to develop solutions to municipal issues as part of their coursework, providing them with real-world learning opportunities through these partnerships, said MSO on Sept 21.