Strong ties to family ties in Singapore

THE National Family Council launched its Family Pledge on Tuesday to encourage Singaporeans to "strengthen their commitment to family". The pledge was reportedly introduced because, according to research, people tend to stay more committed when they make a pledge. The introduction of such an oath might seem to suggest that Singaporeans in recent years have become less family-oriented.

But is this true? And would such a pledge remind them to be more family-oriented?

In a survey of 1,500 Singaporeans in recent years, we found that nearly two decades after the Government's Family Values campaign in 1994, Singaporeans have been increasingly supportive of the core family values promoted. This is an encouraging result. Our Quality of Life Survey in 2011 examined various value systems that are important to Singaporeans. One of these focused specifically on family values. We also compared the results in 2011 with data collected in 2001, thus providing a longitudinal perspective on how Singaporeans' attitudes towards family values have evolved over a decade.

We looked at the Family Values campaign started in 1994 to promote and uphold family values and ties. The five shared family values deemed to support the well-being of families and underpin the progress of Singapore were identified as: love, care and concern; mutual respect; filial responsibility; commitment; and communication. Based on these values, we derived seven statements to measure Singaporeans' orientation towards family values. These statements were used in our nationwide representative surveys of Singaporeans in 2001 and 2011.

Respondents were asked to say if they disagreed or agreed with the statements, with a lower score indicating disagreement. As shown in the chart, the scores improved in 2011 for all seven statements measuring family values. For example, the mean score for the statement "family love makes a person feel appreciated and treasured" was 4.83 in 2001 and rose to 5.20 in 2011. The composite score, which takes into account responses to all seven statements, went up from 4.69 to 5.15. 

The slight differences in rankings could indicate a shift in how family values are now expressed. In 2011, being family-oriented was about tangible forms of support, especially for elderly family members. In 2001, being family-oriented was more likely to refer to enjoying the benefits of being appreciated and treasured.

Our survey for 2011 also found that female Singaporeans were slightly more family-oriented than male Singaporeans, with females having a composite mean score of 5.20 and males, 5.09. Interestingly, as Singaporeans grew older, they tended to become less family-oriented, with those aged 65 years and above being the least family-oriented. For example, our 2011 survey showed that among those aged 45 to 54, the composite score was 5.17, but this went down to 4.99 for those aged 65 and above. This is in contrast to the results of the 2001 survey, which found that "family values orientation did not vary significantly across age groups, gender, marital status, and income groups, except for educational level".

The 2001 survey also found that "those with tertiary education and above scored marginally lower in terms of overall family value orientation (composite score), than those with secondary school or vocational education and below". Our 2011 survey, however, found that family value orientation did not vary significantly by education or income levels.

Another survey in 2010, commissioned by the National Family Council, found that Singaporeans still held on to family values, including filial piety. About seven in 10 of the 1,500 people surveyed said that aged parents should be living with them. However, older respondents appeared to have a firmer sense of reality and said they preferred living on their own. An increased awareness of their children's financial burdens and not wishing to be a liability to them could be reasons why aged parents choose to maintain their independence. This is one possible reason why older Singaporeans may seem less family-oriented in 2011.

A comparison of the survey data from 2001 and 2011 suggests Singaporeans today are more family-oriented now than they were a decade ago. And with this orientation not varying significantly across most age groups, marital status and educational levels, we may reasonably conclude that with or without the Family Pledge, Singaporeans remain committed to their families.

By Siok Kuan Tambyah And Tan Soo Jiuan For The Straits Times

The Straits Times Published on Aug 03, 2013

 Siok Kuan Tambyah is senior lecturer in marketing and Tan Soo Jiuan is associate professor in marketing at the National University of Singapore Business School.