SINGAPORE - The latest Graciousness Index, released by the Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) on Tuesday, gave the Republic a score of 61 out of 100 this year, continuing a steady climb from 55 last year and 53 in 2013.
The higher the index, the more gracious society is deemed to be.
This year's rise is led by a growing sense of positive perceptions about kindness and graciousness in Singapore, with respondents rating themselves and others higher when it comes to being considerate, courteous and showing appreciation.
SKM general secretary William Wan said: "If we as a nation continue this positive trend, then kindness and graciousness can become part of our norms and national identity."
The annual study polled 1,850 people here over six weeks from December last year to February this year. The index was first introduced in 2008.
It found that there was a marked increase in optimism, with 44 per cent of those polled saying that graciousness here had improved, compared to 28 per cent last year.
Asked who is responsible for making Singapore a gracious place to live in, more than seven in 10 respondents said the government, while six in 10 said they themselves.
An SKM study also looked at attitudes towards community issues such as neighbourliness and parenting.
Most respondents were satisfied with neighbourliness here, and over 40 per cent wanted more positive interactions with neighbours, but among this group, fear and awkwardness were cited as common stumbling blocks.
Nearly six in 10 respondents, including non-parents, felt that parents are not leading by example when it comes to being gracious. But close to eight in 10 parents agreed that they could do more to inculcate the right moral values to their children.
