SINGAPORE: One in two young Singaporeans have little
intention of moving overseas. They are rooted by strong family
ties, national pride, and have confidence in the country's economic
future.
This finding emerged from a study conducted by the
Institute of Policy Studies, involving more more than 2,013
Singaporeans between 19 and 30 years old.
The respondents were interviewed in door-to-door
surveys over three months, from December 2009 to March 2010.
Friends, family and home ownership are the main reasons identified
by young Singaporeans when asked what keeps them rooted to the
country.
The respondents were asked to pick the reasons from 26 items such
as quality of life, finance and career, social bonding and
well-being and socio-political considerations.
When Channel NewsAsia took to the streets, many cited similar
considerations.
"I don't think I'm moving out of Singapore because of friends and
family here," said a young Singaporean.
"Singapore is a good to live in, with a lot of opportunities to
excel in life...there's (also) no natural disaster in Singapore,
like what happened to Japan," said another.
But others felt emigration represented a better life, citing
Singapore's high cost of living and hectic lifestyle as possible
reasons for migrating.
The Institute of Policy Studies' survey found that young
Singaporeans fell into four broad categories. There is the
"Heartland Stayer" - unlikely to emigrate and has strong ties and
national pride. Similarly, the "Cosmopolitan Stayer" has low
intention of leaving and is rooted in Singapore. However, this
group views emigration favourably and has the ability to
leave.
There is also the "Explorer" group - the one most likely to
emigrate. They have strong family ties but doesn't feel connected
to Singapore. And then there is the "Disengaged" have the weakest
family bonds and lowest national pride. They also have no strong
opinion on emigration, and have a lower ability to migrate.
The Institute of Policy Studies said the survey findings showed
that young Singaporeans are not a homogenous group and a
one-size-fits-all policy will not work. This makes it challenging
for policymakers to engage them on the issue of rootedness as
different factors appeal to different segments. But one area that
can be looked into is the issue of work-life balance, which emerged
as an important anchor.
Dr Leong Chan Hoong, lead researcher and research fellow with the
Institute of Policy Studies, said: "They find that this work-life
balance is lacking in Singapore. As a result, some of them consider
migrating abroad to achieve that. So it is important for
policymakers to pay attention to this area and more importantly, to
see whether that attitude, that perception changes over
time."
The institute hopes to conduct another survey in two to three
years.
-CNA/ac
And u wuld think that living in Australia is cheaper than
Singapore? Think again..
