Most Singapore residents prioritise self-reliance for essential needs: IPS poll
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More than three in five said individuals should be responsible for things that ensure a decent standard of living.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
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SINGAPORE - Singapore residents generally believe they should be responsible for providing their own essential needs such as air-conditioning and emergency savings, but that the Government should help those who cannot afford basic necessities like three square meals.
A majority also prefer to rely on themselves for social participation and leisure needs
Findings of the IPS poll on Singapore residents’ perceptions of who should provide for essential needs were presented at a symposium at the Singapore Management University (SMU) on July 12, alongside those of an SMU study on what most people here feel are essential items
The IPS survey of 2,000 Singapore citizens and permanent residents, conducted in June, saw 39 essential needs put into categories such as childcare, daily living, transport and household items.
An additional 424 respondents from lower-income households were polled, and the data from the resident population was weighted to be nationally representative.
On average, respondents felt that individuals should be responsible for about 16 of the 39 items, the Government for 10 items, and the community for 9 items.
More than three in five said individuals should be responsible for things that ensure a decent standard of living, such as an annual vacation in a South-east Asian country and dining out in restaurants at least once a month.
Conversely, the top items that people felt the Government should provide were regular preventive health screening (57 per cent of respondents), an Integrated Shield Plan to cover healthcare bills (56.6 per cent) and infant care and childcare services for working parents (46.8 per cent).
Over two-thirds of those surveyed also indicated that the Government should be the main party to support individuals who do not have basic necessities
Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said both the IPS and SMU studies were funded by his ministry, and will inform the Government’s ongoing review of its ComCare financial assistance scheme.
Self-reliance held in high regard: Masagos
In his closing remarks at the symposium, Mr Masagos said the IPS poll showed that many Singaporeans believe in individuals taking responsibility for meeting their own needs, especially if they strive for a higher standard of living.
“This is not surprising at all. Singaporeans hold self-reliance in high regard. This includes the lower-income themselves, who find dignity in providing for themselves and their families,” he said.
The poll found that while more than four in five surveyed felt that public schemes to help low-income individuals should be more generous, more than two-thirds also agreed that the support available today is eroding recipients’ self-reliance.
“Taken together, this may suggest that while there is a desire for more generous government support for low-income individuals, there are lingering concerns that such support should not reduce recipients’ self-reliance,” said the survey report.
There were generational differences in perspectives, with younger respondents Older respondents
IPS principal research fellow and head of its Social Lab Mathew Mathews said younger respondents might be looking at models in different countries where there are more public support schemes.
“However, they may not be cognisant of the fact that other societies have other kinds of demands, such as higher taxation,” he said at a media briefing on July 10.
Professor Paulin Straughan, who spearheaded the SMU study, said more opportunities should be created for youth here to volunteer, to show that they can make a difference.
“It’s when you can’t see where you can contribute, then you may begin to say the Government (should provide),” said the director of SMU’s Centre for Research on Successful Ageing.
Reallocation of public funds preferred over higher taxes
Close to 60 per cent of respondents who felt that the Government should provide some of the 39 items said that funding for these essential needs should come from reallocated public funds, as opposed to higher taxes.
There was no clear consensus on where this funding should be reallocated from, though the areas that drew the highest responses were the arts and culture (36.8 per cent), sports (32.7 per cent), and heritage conservation (27.3 per cent).
Implicit in the findings was the public’s understanding that social assistance must be reasonable and sustainable, bearing in mind that it is funded by taxpayers, said Mr Masagos.
Mr Masagos said that while there is a preference for reallocating government spending from other areas, this involves hard choices.
“This is a delicate balance we will need to strike – between which items to provide for through government funding, and the trade-offs we need to make as a society,” he said.
He added that the studies show there is much room for others besides the state – such as individuals, organisations, and businesses – to support vulnerable families in achieving stability, self-reliance and social mobility.
Agreeing, Prof Straughan said a whole-of-society approach is needed as the Government can only do so much, beyond which taxes may have to be raised.
For instance, the desire for travel to South-east Asian countries once a year can be met by community clubs, which may currently be more focused on organising several local outings annually.
They can also open up air-conditioned rooms on their premises for community use on hot days, she suggested.
She also called for more philanthropy, now that the studies have made visible the gaps where people feel help is essential.
“Businesses that are doing well and top income earners here can do their part to bring the community together and make Singapore a stronger and more stable nation,” she said.
