‘Are we so money-faced and calculative?’: Singaporean reacts to national reading movement that pays people to read

SINGAPORE: Shrinking attention spans, weaker reading comprehension, the rise of podcasts and audiobooks, and endless doomscrolling have led some to argue that we are entering a “post-literate” age, where people consume more content than ever but spend less time actually reading.

In a bid to push back against that trend and encourage people to spend more time with books, Singapore has launched a new national reading movement that rewards participants for logging their daily reading sessions.

Under the initiative, participants earn virtual coins simply by reading. Those coins can later be redeemed for cash, with 1,000 coins equivalent to S$1 through a portal managed by the Government Technology Agency.

However, one Singaporean recently challenged this initiative, questioning why something as simple and enriching as reading now needs a cash incentive to get people interested.

Posting on the r/SingaporeR forum, he wrote: “Be paid to read? National initiative – read 15min and be paid. Like what? I thought it was a joke. Everything in Singapore also need to pay then people will do, either with a fine or with a monetary incentive.”

“Seriously, are we so dry as a nation, so money-faced, so calculative that everything needs to be assessed in dollars? Yah lah yah lah, I know the answer is yes, but I’m looking for more engaging replies.”

Taking the argument a step further, he joked: “Why not pay me S$0.30 when I order Kopi-C siu dai because I’m asking for less ingredients and a healthier choice also right?”

The Singaporean, however, didn’t receive support from other Redditors.

Quite a few felt that if the goal is to get more people reading, offering a small reward is simply the easiest way to do it.

One wrote, “Let’s face it, how else are you going to incentivise people? Singaporeans are quite money-minded, stereotypically, especially the Chinese (that includes me haha). Do you remember the Healthy 365 initiative? I personally don’t care as I don’t like to be moved by just silly amounts of money, but for my parents, who love every opportunity to make an extra buck and don’t exercise regularly, it works.”

Another Redditor also questioned why the initiative was being criticised. “As someone who’s already an avid reader to begin with, I don’t see the problem with doing my favourite hobby and getting cash for it. Am I missing something?”

A third argued, “They use money to incentivise because realistically, that’s the easiest alternative to bring people to getting onto an initiative—try doing it WITHOUT incentives in the big 2026; I can guarantee nothing is gonna happen because everyone would treat it as a chore that’s ‘not worth our time,’ and potentially treat it as a bother.”

In other news, a father shared that he is contemplating leaving his wife of 18 years after both of their children begged him to divorce her.

Posting on the r/SingaporeRaw forum, the father said the request came after his wife allegedly treated their children, aged 10 and 14, horribly, particularly the older one, whom she allegedly constantly berated to the point that she self-harmed.

Read more: Singapore father says wife repeatedly berated teen daughter, now both children want him to divorce her