IPS survey indicates growing confidence in Singapore’s democratic status

SINGAPORE: A recent survey by the Institute of Policy Studies found that an increasing number of citizens now view the nation as a fully democratic entity.

The Asian Democracy Survey report, based on responses from approximately 1,000 Singaporeans collected between September and November of last year, highlights a notable change in beliefs compared to three years prior.

Specifically, the percentage of respondents who believe Singapore is a fully democratic country has risen by 3.2 percentage points since 2020, reaching 12.4%.

Furthermore, nearly 32% of participants expressed that Singapore has become more democratic over the past decade, reflecting an increase of 2.8 percentage points since the previous survey in 2020.

Conversely, the proportion of Singaporeans who feel the nation is a democratic state with minor issues has declined from about 69% in 2020 to nearly 62% last year.

The survey also highlights a growing trust in the current government’s ability to foster development. The percentage of respondents who believe Singapore is progressing positively under the current leadership increased from 34.6% in 2020 to 40.8% last year.

Interestingly, the survey uncovered notable demographic trends among respondents.

Individuals with a technical or secondary education were more inclined to perceive Singapore as becoming less democratic, while those aged 35 and above were more likely to assert that there has been no change in the democratic landscape over time.

Additionally, respondents who believe that “power and resources are distributed fairly” within the country were also more likely to contend that the nature of Singapore’s democracy has remained stable from the past to the present.