Introduction
This paper presents the attitudes and sentiments of Singaporeans on various social and economic issues amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We used data from Toluna’s online panel of Singaporean residents aged 21 years and older over 22 waves (April 2020 to March 2021). Each wave collected responses from over 500 respondents, whose profiles approximated the national population in terms of race, gender and housing type.
(1) Majority of respondents were able to adapt well in the pandemic, although younger respondents expressed a lower level of psychological well-being; a substantial proportion of respondents remained concerned about their financial situation
Results from the surveys showed that while respondents had been able to adapt well and cope with the many obstacles and challenges that the pandemic brought, many remained cautious over their livelihoods and future opportunities.
At least half of survey respondents reported being stressed from the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020; this decreased to around 30 per cent in March 2021. In spite of this, the majority of respondents did not experience notable behavioural or psychological disturbances, such as having difficulty sleeping or feeling irritable, even during the early days of the pandemic. However, the psychological well-being of younger respondents appeared to be more impacted by the pandemic than older respondents. At least three in 10 Singaporeans aged 21 to 29 years old were found to be rather or very worried about losing their purpose for living, as opposed to only one in 10 of those aged 60 and above. Further, 27 per cent of those in the 21 to 29 age group experienced trouble sleeping or staying awake in the recent months, as opposed to only nine per cent of those aged 60 and above.
As for financial well-being, at least half the respondents reported their finances as being in a poor or fair state. Our study recorded no particular uptick in family or relationship problems throughout the period of study.
(2) Respondents progressively adapted to safety measures over the course of the year; older respondents were less likely than younger respondents to express concerns about vaccine safety
There was a decline in the proportion of respondents who felt inconvenienced by the various safe management measures that were implemented over the year, such as mask wearing or scanning multiple QR codes.
On the topic of vaccination, W22 (March 2021) showed that 67 per cent of respondents were willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine if it were offered to them. Around half of the population still held concerns over the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. Further analyses showed that respondents aged 60 and above were less likely to be concerned about the safety of the vaccine, as compared with the other age groups. Around half of the respondents also said they were concerned about being given a type of vaccine (e.g., Pfizer, Moderna, Sinovac) that they did not trust.
(3) Preference for hybrid work arrangements appeared to be prevalent among respondents
Workplace arrangement patterns have since changed to reflect the current state of the pandemic. In May 2020, 63 per cent of respondents reported working mainly from their homes, as Singapore went through its Extended Circuit Breaker. By March 2021, around 68 per cent of the working population among survey respondents reported working mainly in the office. At least 80 per cent of those who were mainly working from home said that they enjoyed working from home. Around 50 per cent of all working respondents feel that an increased frequency of working from office should be made the new norm in Phase 3. Around 40 per cent of respondents reported that they were afraid of being infected with COVID-19 as they began to return to their workplaces more regularly.
(4) Government satisfaction remained consistently high throughout the year, although concerns about cost of living remain
At least three-quarters of respondents said they were satisfied with the government’s overall COVID-19 response. These sentiments also carried through to other aspects of the government’s COVID-19 responses — around 90 per cent were satisfied with the government’s performance in keeping the healthcare system running while around 70 per cent were satisfied with the government’s efforts in protecting jobs. Respondents were also generally positive about the way the government helped vulnerable groups during the pandemic, with positive attitudes over the management of low-wage foreign workers steadily increasing over the waves. However, at least three in five respondents felt that the government should do more in helping Singaporeans cope with their cost of living.
(5) Optimism about the job market improved since last year, although differences in optimism were observed between industry sectors
Perceptions of the job market significantly improved since April 2020, where around 80 per cent of respondents had felt that the job market would remain bad for the next six months. In W22 (March 2021), around 42 per cent held the same opinion. Around half of those working said they were confident they would still have a job within the next six months. Respondents aged 49 years old and younger, those who had at least a degree, those with a monthly income of more than $5,999, and those in the professional services were more confident of still having a job when compared with other groups. At least half of the survey respondents said they would most likely pursue upgrading courses or taking up a lower-paying job if they were retrenched within this period.
Around 65 per cent of respondents reported that they trust the government to be able to create new jobs and provide training opportunities during this period, while half of the population believed that the authorities would ensure that these new jobs would go to Singaporean residents. At least seven in 10 Singaporeans believed the government was serious about developing a strong Singaporean core of highly skilled talent. A similar proportion of Singaporeans trusted that the government would know how to navigate and lead Singapore in a post-pandemic world.
(6) Perceptions towards medical workers improved substantially over the year relative to perceptions towards new immigrants
The COVID-19 pandemic has improved Singaporeans’ perceptions of medical workers substantially. Over 60 per cent of Singaporeans said they felt more positive about medical workers. On the other hand, around one-fifth of respondents felt more negatively towards new immigrants as a result of COVID-19.
(7) Government satisfaction and societal trust were two important predictors of positive social outcomes (i.e., attitudes towards safety measures, vaccination willingness); Societal trust served as protective social capital against threats from the pandemic
Further statistical analyses were carried out to understand the predictors of attitudes towards COVID-19 countermeasures, such as mask wearing and vaccination. Greater satisfaction with the government was more likely to engender better attitudes towards coping with various safe management measures and also improve one’s willingness to vaccinate. Better individual well-being was a significant predictor of one’s willingness to vaccinate.
Finally, this study demonstrated societal trust as a form of protective social capital during a crisis. Our analysis showed that respondents with lower levels of societal trust were more likely to experience lower levels of well-being, given a greater sense of threat about the pandemic. In contrast, those with higher levels of societal trust were less likely to be affected by perceptions of threat brought about by the pandemic.
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