SensingSG: What Matters to Singapore (Wave #2; Feb 2024)

Economic Pressure and Digital Insecurity Lead to Sedate Community Sentiment in SensingSG

With Singapore six weeks into a pivotal year, and the Budget announcement imminent, the latest data from SensingSG paints a detailed picture of the sentiments held by Singaporeans during a crucial period of change. Our findings reveal a community still burdened by economic pressures and increasingly anxious over online security, but despite this, resilience and optimism underpin the Singapore outlook.

SensingSG is a unique, innovative community insights platform that tracks the sentiments of Singaporeans through quarterly surveys. The insights described in this article relate to the most recent data wave of SensingSG, with the fieldwork carried out between 26 Jan and 7 Feb 2024. SensingSG can be accessed for free here.

Community Sentiment Remains Cautiously Optimistic

SensingSG highlights that a solid majority of Singaporeans (74%) are satisfied with the direction of the country, and 77% believe Singapore is on the right track. When it comes to the economy, 73% view it favourably, while 64% are content with their personal financial situation.

Looking ahead, Singaporeans are divided on the economic future: 34% expect improvement, but 40% anticipate worsening conditions. These sentiments have barely shifted since the last quarter, indicating a wait-and-see approach as the Budget announcement approaches.

Economic Issues Still Matter Most to Singaporeans

Every quarter, we ask Singaporeans to rank the issues that matter most to them, and once again Cost of Living is the dominant issue by a decisive margin. Well over half (58%) of respondents named this as one of their top two issues (from a list of 26), almost precisely the same proportion we saw in the preceding quarter (59%). This implies nothing has convinced the public over the past three months that the cost of living crisis is improving.

Like the previous quarter, other economic issues lead the concerns chart, with salaries and wages, housing affordability, jobs and unemployment, and GST making up the top five — mirroring the results of the previous data wave.

Cyber Security Concerns Surge

Notably, ‘Cyber Security and Scams’ has risen sharply in public concern, now ranked as the sixth most pressing issue. This concern is also reflected by a significant decline in the Good Governance Scorecard, where there was a precipitous drop of 11% from the previous wave in September 2023. Allied to the fact “Online Scam Cases in Singapore” was identified as the no.1 news story in the Media Monitor, it is clear to see that events of the past quarter have sharpened a sense of online insecurity among the public.

This is interesting because while there have been high profile scam cases in the media in recent months, there doesn't seem to have been such a dramatic rise in such stories to justify this spike alone. One possible interpretation is that government and industry proactivity in public education campaigns around digital safety is having an impact — i.e. people are seeing more advisories and warnings and this is heightening their awareness of how acute the problem is.

Needle (Almost) Unmoved in Good Governance Meter

The Good Governance Meter remains at 63%, indicating stable public perception of government performance. Economic issues, particularly the cost of living, continue to score lowest, while areas such as security and education receive higher scores from the public. Noteworthy changes include:

A 11% drop for Cyber Security and Scams already mentioned;

• A 7% decline in satisfaction for public transport after the SimplyGo furore;

• A 5% improvement for COE after prices were corralled under control;

• A 4% rise for immigration.

Citizen Experience with Government Services

In this edition of SensingSG, we have improved our section on how citizens are engaging with the Singapore government. We found that two-in-three (66%) engaged with government services in the past quarter — 91% of whom were successful in getting help the first time itself, and 95% said they were treated well and with respect.

The means of engagement was mixed, and many accessed services through more than one means. About half (51%) did so online, 42% did so in-person, and 34% did so over the phone. Interestingly, when asked how they prefer to engage with government services, more than half (54%) said over the phone or in-person was preferable to doing so online (46%)!

Media Monitor: Scams Won’t SimplyGo Away

The most followed stories in recent months have been online scams and the SimplyGo public transport issues, surpassing even significant political stories in public attention such as the corruption charges laid against former-Minister Iswaran. This focus suggests a prioritisation of immediate, practical concerns over broader political narratives.

Spotlights on the Johor-Singapore Relationship and the Longevity Economy

For this SensingSG's thematic spotlights, we looked at two big issues — the Johor-Singapore Relationship, and the Longevity Economy. We will be sharing our insights in these areas more fulsomely very shortly. Keep an eye out on SensingSG and our blog for updates.

Conclusion

The latest SensingSG data reflects a community facing economic and digital challenges, with the upcoming Budget announcement carrying significant expectations. As Singaporeans navigate these issues, the sentiment remains one of cautious optimism, tempered by concerns over the cost of living and cyber security. Blackbox will continue to monitor and analyse developments closely.

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