As it turns out, Singaporeans are happier than most believe. Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, any opinions expressed below belong solely to the author. Data comes from the latest update to the Sensing SG poll carried out periodically by Blackbox Research. Blackbox Research has just updated its long-running survey, Sensing SG, in which it regularly asks Singapore’s residents (that is, citizens and PRs) about their views on the situation in the country, governance, their personal situation, and predictions about the future. It’s quite unique in that it polls a fairly large sample (1505 respondents this Dec) and tracks their responses to the same questions over time, thus reducing the risks of inaccuracy or distortion by random events. There are dozens of questions that you can view the answers to on the poll’s website, but our focus today is on the issues Singaporeans highlight as the most pressing for them and how they have evolved over time—mainly the cost of living. Content like a Singaporean The theme of living expenses keeps returning to the news and can be heard across the Internet, where netizens often voice their complaints about how costly Singapore has allegedly become over the past three years of global inflation.   As it turns out, however, while it remains the top issue among polled Singaporeans, it is a much smaller concern today than it was just a year ago, not to mention back in 2023, when close to 60% of local residents expressed worry about the cost of living. Today their share has dropped to just 34%, with two-thirds of the population no longer anxious about prices. Source: Sensing SG Survey / Blackbox Research Notably, this is despite only minor shifts in public sentiments on salaries, jobs or housing affordability, which have trended down only very slightly (if at all, given the margin of error), with fewer than one in six Singaporeans ranking any as one of their top two concerns (the question asked by Blackbox was: “Which of the following national and community issues would you say are most important to you today? Select the two most important to you.”). Happy like a Singaporean While Singaporeans have a reputation of being “champion grumblers”, in reality, it might just be a fairly small group that is responsible for the label.     In reality, it looks as though Singapore locals might be some of the most satisfied people in the world, with 80% feeling financially secure and positive about their situation (even if some are still concerned about inflation), close to 86% viewing the local economic situation positively, and over 87% happy about how things are in Singapore in general. Image credit: Sensing SG Survey/ Blackbox Research Compare these figures, if you will, to the sentiments across the G7 countries, where satisfaction with the economy is at most in the mid-30s and as low as 16% in France and just 7% in Japan, according to regular monthly polls run by IPSOS: Source: IPSOS Optimistic like a Singaporean What’s more, not only are Singaporeans happy with how things are—they are also optimistic about where they are heading. A whopping 90% believe things in the country are going in the right direction (as compared, for example, to just 38% in the USA). 53% think the economy is going to improve over the next 12 months (only 20% disagree), while 59% expect to be better off in 2026. Image credit: Sensing SG Survey/ Blackbox Research What’s more, you have to remember that it’s not a one-off poll that could be dismissed by skeptics as a fluke. Because Blackbox repeats the same questions every few months, that alone should smooth out any incidental spikes and drops in public opinion and accurately identify broader trends. The mood in society appears to be far better today than even a year ago, and despite the global upheaval that Donald Trump’s second presidency has brought in its first year, most Singaporeans are happy not only with where they are but also where they are headed.

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