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Nearly half of S'pore residents see civility at its worst, fewer than a third would help those they disagree with: Survey

SINGAPORE — When asked how they would act towards a person with whom they strongly disagreed, fewer than one in three Singapore respondents polled said that they would be willing to help them if they were in need, a report by global public relations firm Edelman revealed.

Commuters on an MRT train.

Commuters on an MRT train.

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  • The lack of civility and mutual respect today had hit rock-bottom, nearly half of the Singapore respondents of a survey said
  • Around half of the respondents believed that the social fabric in Singapore had grown too weak to serve as a foundation for unity
  • The findings were from global public relations firm Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer
  • The report found that countries across the world were more polarised today than in the past

SINGAPORE — When asked how they would act towards a person with whom they strongly disagreed, fewer than one in three Singapore respondents polled said that they would be willing to help them if they were in need, a report by global public relations firm Edelman revealed.

The report also found that nearly half of the respondents here (44 per cent) believed that the lack of civility and mutual respect today was "the worst (they) have ever seen".

Around half, or 46 per cent, also believed that the social fabric "that once held this country together has grown too weak to serve as a foundation for unity and common purpose".

The Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer report was released on Wednesday (March 15).

The findings were an improvement, though, to figures recorded in last year's report, where 45 per cent agreed with the statement on lack of civility and 49 per cent agreed with that on the weakening social fabric.

The annual survey, which is in its 23rd edition, compiled responses from 32,000 respondents across 28 countries that were recorded between November 1 and 28 in 2022.

About 1,150 respondents were polled from each country, including Singapore.

It found that countries across the world were more divided today than in the past. Three-quarters of the countries surveyed were found to be either moderately or severely polarised.

Singapore's respondents were not as polarised as other countries such as Germany, South Korea and the United States.

Compared with the average of 53 per cent of respondents in other countries who said that their countries were more divided today than in the past, only 33 per cent of Singapore respondents said so.

Edelman Singapore's chief executive officer Julia Wei said: “Maintaining a strong social fabric and a robust trust ecosystem is essential for Singapore to navigate the systemic changes taking place across our multi-polar world.”

The report also sought to identify who the unifying or divisive forces were within the various countries polled.

Noting that ideological differences between people will always exist, researchers also queried respondents to identify which groups might be fuelling divisions and fomenting a lack of civility between people who hold different views. 

In response, Singapore respondents said that institutional leaders — which comprised those from business, government and non-governmental organisations — and teachers were more likely to be seen as "unifiers". 

On the other hand, hostile foreign governments and the rich and powerful were seen as divisive forces. 

LACK OF CIVILITY AND MUTUAL RESPECT

Notably, nearly two-thirds of the respondents around the world observed an unprecedented lack of civility and mutual respect in their societies.

In Singapore, nearly half, or 44 per cent, of respondents believed that the lack of civility and mutual respect today had hit rock-bottom, while 46 per cent believed that the social fabric that once held this country together had grown too weak.

At the same time, the survey found that this observed lack of civility and unity coincided with a worrying trend: Among those who felt strongly about an issue, 22 per cent would not live in the same neighbourhood as people who held different views and 20 per cent would not want them as a co-worker.

Singapore respondents who said that the country was divided on key issues acknowledged that if the divisions were not addressed, there could be several consequences, which included:

  • Worsening prejudice and discrimination
  • Inability to address societal challenges
  • Slower economic development
  • Lack of cooperation with national authorities

This year’s report also found that respondents had great expectations for business, and wanted more societal engagement on issues such as climate change, discrimination and income inequality.

Nearly half, or 43 per cent, said that the government and business working together would produce the best societal outcomes, as compared to:

  • Both working independently (18 per cent)
  • Government working alone (18 per cent)
  • Business working alone (11 per cent)

Ms Wei noted that people believe that government and businesses working in partnership will achieve the best results across a wide range of societal issues— on average, four times more than if businesses were to work alone.

“With a majority (55 per cent) of people in Singapore believing that business can address contentious societal issues without being politicised, the mandate for business to act is clear," she said.

Related topics

Edelman Trust Barometer 2023 social fabric study

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