The ethos of self reliance as put forth by Singapore's
government leaders seems to have filtered down to the ground.
In a survey conducted on some 800 respondents, the Institute of
Policy Studies or IPS found that some 80 percent of them think that
people should rely more on personal initiative and sacrifice rather
than the government to cope with the current economic crisis.
The highest level of agreement came from those in the 30 to 39
age group and perhaps not surprisingly, those in the highest
household income band.
The lowest level of agreement came from respondents in the low
household income bracket, but still the figure was at 77
percent.
But if government assistance were needed, respondents across all
age groups said rebates on taxes and government charges and direct
financial assistance were considered of most benefit.
Rebates were deemed most important for those with a household
income of more than 2,500 dollars.
On the other hand, financial assistance was most important to
those with a household income of less than 2,500 dollars.
In other findings, respondents also indicated they could cope
for an average of eight and a half months if they were to lose
their main source of income.
The shortest length was found in the low household income group
who said they could cope for about 6.3 months. (eds: less than
2.5k)
A majority said they would rely heavily on their savings to tide
them over, while about one in three respondents said they would be
willing to take on any job regardless of the pay.
However, if the downturn were to persist, social stresses could
emerge.
About a third of those in the 21 to 29 age group and those in
the low household income group felt that they were worse off with
having foreigners in Singapore.
Still, when viewing this from a national perspective,
respondents were more likely to say that Singapore is better off
having foreigners here.
Everything considered, respondents felt that Singapore had
benefitted more from government measures than they had at the
personal level.
The survey was conducted in February, shortly after the Budget
was announced and debated in Parliament.
--938Live