Emerging Patterns of Household Formation in Singapore

Are you a…
• Singaporean Citizen or PR aged between 21 and 75 years old?
• Able to participate in an English-language discussion for up to 3 hours?
• Part of an emerging household formation in Singapore that might be considered unconventional (e.g., cohabiting unmarried adults, childless married couples, sandwiched young seniors)? OR
• Part of a family built on joy, support, and love, but unconventional (e.g., chosen family of best friends, unmarried cohabiting couple with no intention to marry, practicing consensual non-monogamy in a committed and cohabiting relationship, multigenerational household)? OR
• Something totally different from these examples of emerging or unconventional families?

What you can expect…
• Researchers will conduct an ethnographic interview with you for up to 3 hours, once.
• The discussion will be audio-recorded for transcription purposes (if you are able to).
• You will have the opportunity to share your unique family story and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of Singaporean families and emerging household trends.
• Your responses will be completely anonymous, and your name or any other identifiable information will not be mentioned in any publications or presentations arising from this project.

What you stand to gain…
• Reimbursement of $150 as a token of appreciation for your time (approximately 3 hours).
• Benefit families like yours by helping researchers and the general public understand emerging household formation trends in Singapore better!
Why are we conducting this study?
Dr Kalpana Vignehsa and her colleagues from the Institute of Policy Studies, NUS, are conducting a study to explore emerging household formation trends in Singapore. This emerging household formation project aims to address research gaps in relatively understudied subpopulations in Singapore by providing a holistic picture of the heterogeneity of emerging trends. Emerging household trends refer to new typologies that occur with some regularity that may be considered emerging segments, such as cohabiting unmarried adults, childless married couples, and sandwiched young seniors.

Through this ethnography interview study, we seek to understand these households' motivations and challenges, with a focus on housing needs, relationship preferences, societal pressures, and social barriers. We want to know if there is a pattern to how these families emerge, the main similarities and differences that may exist among them, and some of the boons and burdens experienced stemming from being in an emerging household formation situated in Singapore. Share your unique family story and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of Singaporean families!

Study Title: Emerging Patterns of Household Formation in Singapore
Reference code:  NUS-IRB-2024-595

For further details please contact:
Nur Aida Poh at aidapoh@nus.edu.sg
Institute of Policy Studies
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS