The GSI was up one point in February with fieldwork taking place both sides of the Budget announcement. While the trends on wages/salaries and elderly care are positive for the Government, satisfaction with cost of living remains stubbornly low relative to other areas. The next few months will determine whether Budget announcements help to move the dial on this.

The Coronavirus from Wuhan was the most followed news item in February, followed by Trump’s acquittal following impeachment. The third-most followed news was how hot 2019 was, with its hotter-than-usual months.

February’s Budget Statement for 2020 came with the backdrop of a slumbering economy, questions over election dates and the global coronavirus crisis. Despite this, the Government’s economic plan won a resounding thumbs up, with Singaporeans scoring the budget an average 6.7 out of 10. This is a sharp rise from a score of 5.8 in 2019 and 5.4 in 2018. 44% of Singaporeans believe they are “winners” because of the Budget, with only 14% believing they will be less well off.

This Budget was crucial for the Government as the Red Dot is pessimistic about the economy overall. 45% believe 2020 will be worse for them, personally, than 2019. Only 26% have an optimistic view of the year ahead.

The previously announced GST rise may not popular, but the Government seems to have taken the sting out of the decision in the run up to the next GE. The deferral of the GST hike, together with the announced offsets were received well.

Measures supporting older citizens were most popular. These included a $100 Passion Card top-up for over 50s, expansion of the Silver Support Scheme and Skills Future grants, and salary support for employers who take on new staff in their 40s or above.

South Bend, Indiana has given us Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay US presidential candidate, in a country known for its sharp opinions on homosexuality. We asked locals how likely they think it is that Singapore will have a gay Prime Minister by 2050.

While only 34% of people thought it was likely to happen in that timeframe, 45% of Singaporeans said they would be comfortable with it. Just as many were comfortable with a gay President and even more were OK with a homosexual MP (49%) or Mayor (50%).

Singaporeans, however, appear slightly more comfortable with gay leadership in the workplace with 56% saying they are comfortable with their direct supervisor/boss being gay and 54% comfortable with a gay CEO.

Consistent with other recent publicised studies on gay attitudes in Singapore, those under 25 are roughly twice as tolerant as those over 50.

With fake Instagram accounts apparently on the rise, it got us thinking – how many Singaporeans maintain fake personas or noms de plume online? Our findings show that nearly a quarter of Singaporeans (23%) claim to maintain a fake or alternative profile on social media to stay anonymous. The figure is a little higher amongst those under the age of 25 – 27%

Not only are there numerous fake accounts out there, many Singaporeans also admit they exclude people from their feeds – nearly half (46%) say they like to ‘block’. Most common block targets are strangers followed by the boss. Findings also show that 22% block their children but only 7% block their romantic/partner or spouse. Grounds for divorce?

So, with all those fake accounts out there, be careful – your next Facebook friend or Instagram voyeur could well be your boss in disguise.