Factors for Decline in Happiness Measure in Quality of Life Survey

16 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth following the latest Quality of Life survey which found a decline in happiness among Singaporeans over the past decade (a) whether the Ministry can elaborate on specific local factors that may be contributing to this trend; (b) whether any study has been done to correlate between the observed decline in happiness and the rise in mental health issues; and (c) what initiatives can be taken to achieve better survey results.

The Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Alvin Tan) (for the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth): Sir, the Member is referring to the National University of Singapore's (NUS) 2022 Quality of Life (QOL) survey, which found that Singaporeans' well-being decreased between 2016 and 2022. The authors of this survey measured well-being using a variety of scales, including the satisfaction with life scale and the Cantril self-anchoring scale, which is also used as the primary happiness measure by the World Happiness Report of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

This could be attributed to a variety of factors. It could reflect Singaporeans’ emotions as they weathered the COVID-19 pandemic when we had fewer opportunities to interact with one another or to participate in arts, culture and sports activities or through volunteering. All of these are determinants of well-being.

In the World Happiness Report 2023 that I cited earlier, Singapore is the happiest country in Asia and the 25th happiest country in the world. It is worth noting that this report's Happiness score is used interchangeably with Subjective Well-being, and the score is based on the Gallup World Poll Life Today Cantril-ladder Life Evaluation question.

As I mentioned earlier, there would be also varying definitions of happiness. One definition is that happiness is a state of feeling or showing pleasure or contentment and is distinct from mental health needs or issues. We are not aware of existing studies done in Singapore that correlate both.

But, as a whole, the Government has implemented a holistic approach to enhance Singaporeans’ mental health and mental well-being through the national strategy we announced in October 2023. The SG Mental Well-being Network is the community pillar to this strategy. Through the Network, we bring together partners and citizens to strengthen mental well-being and mental health outcomes. We have also set up Well-being Circles in the communities to strengthen community and peer support and equip citizens with skills to care for their own mental well-being and that of others around them. We are also working with schools and employers to create environments which support mental well-being.

I look forward to further discussing the topic of mental health and mental well-being with the Member in the debate on the Motion that he has filed jointly with other People's Action Party Members of Parliament in the House and thank him for his leadership in advancing mental health and mental well-being in our nation.

Mr Speaker: Mr Yip, we have a full debate later. Do you still want to ask a supplementary question? Okay.

Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): My supplementary question is not related to the debate. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Has the Ministry considered the impact of rising living costs, housing affordability and job insecurity on happiness levels? Can the Ministry share specific data on these?

Next, I understand that the QOL survey is done by NUS and not by the Government, but it is still a useful report to measure residents' quality of life. Can the Ministry share how the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) will use the findings and recommendations from the survey, including how the findings are effectively communicated to and acted upon by relevant stakeholders across different Government agencies and community organisations?

Mr Alvin Tan: Sir, I thank Mr Yip for his questions. The short answer to his second question is, in fact, yes, and we look at NUS' QOL survey among many other reports that MCCY either commissions or does inhouse. And all of these surveys and studies do inform how we work on the ground in terms of engaging different levels in the community – our youths, seniors and people who are working – and these effectively inform our National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, which we will go into detail again in the debate later on. So, I hope that the Member will be happy with my answer.