Our Singaporean Values: Key Findings from the World Values Survey

3 Feb 2021

Singapore's reputation as a prosperous city-state has been built on its ability to thrive amidst differences. With a multi-ethnic, multi-religious resident population, our embrace of multiculturalism inevitably extends to the values we hold dear, which underpins our beliefs and how we live our lives.

Against this backdrop, Our Singaporean Values is the first of a three-part series presenting the salient findings from the latest 2020 instalment of the World Values Survey (WVS). WVS is the largest non-commercial, cross-national, and time-series survey of public attitudes and values globally. Spanning 80 countries and currently in its seventh iteration, WVS seeks to study individuals' changing values across polities and their impact on social and political life.

Our Singaporean Values analyses the responses of 2,012 Singapore participants for WVS 2020. Comparisons across WVS iterations and countries are presented where appropriate to allow for the tracking of shifting or sustaining values across time and space. In general, the survey sample is nationally representative, as the dataset was weighted to mirror the age, gender, and race demographics of the adult resident population in Singapore.

The following is a succinct rundown of the key findings spanning seven key areas: A) Individual Priorities, B) Personal Ethics, C) Religion and Religiosity, D) Family and Gender, E) Economy and Employment, F) State and Society, and G) Politics and Governance.

Downloads

IPS Exchange Series No. 16

Media Coverage

8World. 2021. 调查：国人依然以家庭为重工作重要程度下滑. 03 Feb
Berita Harian. 2021. Tinjauan bentang nilai penting warga SG. 04 Feb
Channel NewsAsia. 2021. Singapore Tonight. 03 Feb
CNA938. 2021. Singapore Today with Lance Alexander and Melanie Oliveiro. 03 Feb
CNA938. 2021. Singapore Tonight. 03 Feb
CNA938. 2021. Asia First with Arnold Gay and Yasmin Jonkers. 04 Feb
Malay Mail. 2021. Left or right? IPS survey finds almost half of Singaporeans ‘undecided’ on political stance. 03 Feb
Mediacorp CAPITAL 958. 2021. 小城大事. 03 Feb
Mediacorp Channel 5. 2021. News 5. 03 Feb
Mediacorp Channel 8. 2021. Hello Singapore 狮城有约. 03 Feb
Mediacorp Channel 8. 2021. CH 8 News Tonight 晚间新闻. 03 Feb
Mediacorp Seithi. 2021. 'சிங்கிலிஷ்' பேசுவது தனிப்பட்ட தேசிய அடையாள உணர்வைத் தருகிறது: ஆய்வு. 03 Feb
Mediacorp Suria. 2021. Suria Berita. 03 Feb
The Straits Times. 2021. 3 in 5 here prioritise environment over jobs, economy. 04 Feb
The Straits Times. 2021. Values poll: S'pore more liberal but still largely conservative. 04 Feb
The Straits Times. 2021. Majority of S'pore residents feel environment should be prioritised over economic growth, jobs: IPS study. 03 Feb
The Straits Times. 2021. Singapore still conservative on moral, sexuality issues, but more liberal since 2002: IPS survey. 03 Feb
TODAY. 2021. Left or right? IPS study finds almost half of S’poreans 'undecided' on political stance. 03 Feb
TODAY. 2021. Family still top priority for Singaporeans, but importance of work has declined since 2002: IPS study. 03 Feb
TODAY. 2021. Singaporeans more supportive of gender equality, disagree that men make better leaders: IPS study. 03 Feb
TODAY. 2021. Majority of Singaporeans prioritise environmental protection over economic growth: IPS study. 03 Feb
联合早报. 2021. 虽比20年前开放对同性恋等课题国人态度仍趋保守. 04 Feb
联合早报. 2021. 近半国人无明显政治倾向七成认为诚实选举非常重要. 04 Feb
联合早报. 2021. 经济增长虽是国家重点但应优先考虑保护环境. 04 Feb

Our Singaporean Values: Key Findings from the World Values Survey

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