TODAY-Jan 12
Singaporeans are less happy today compared to five years ago, although those who have a more balanced view of life were generally more satisfied, a survey by the National University of Singapore (NUS) found. The 2022 Quality of Life survey also found that from 2016 to 2022, Singaporeans have enjoyed life less, and have felt a decreased sense of achievement, control and purpose. The survey polled 1,905 Singaporeans aged between 21 and 79 from June to July 2022. It is the third and latest edition of a longitudinal study, with earlier editions done in 2011 and 2016. The NUS researchers acknowledged the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic could have on Singaporeans’ well-being, and asked respondents to reflect on the last two years of the pandemic — between mid-2020 and mid-2022 — as they answered the questions in the 2022 survey. The survey found a correlation between high incomes and happiness, although this is not always the case. There were exceptions where people with higher household incomes reported lower levels of well-being than those in lower household income brackets. Singaporeans consistently gave the lowest priority to “excitement” across the three surveys in 2011, 2016 and 2022. These findings were published in a book launched on Thursday (Jan 11), titled Happiness and Wellbeing in Singapore – Beyond Economic Prosperity. It was authored by Associate Professor Siok Kuan Tambyah, honorary fellow Tan Soo Jiuan and PhD candidate Yuen Wei Lun from the NUS Business School. “We also recognize these limitations in a relatively wealthy country like Singapore, and the need for a more holistic perspective of well-being,” they said. In the conclusion of their book, the authors wrote: “While results of the 2022 Quality of Life survey painted a gloomy picture of declining well-being among Singaporeans, there are some bigger takeaways that we hope readers could glean from this book. Read more at: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singaporeans-happiness-view-life-nus-survey-2341456
