Listening to Top-of-Mind Concerns

Global events like the Russia-Ukraine war impact all of us. It is important that policymakers hear how Singaporeans feel about these hot-button issues and how their lives are being affected. Through REACH, the Government was able to better appreciate sentiments on the ground.

Cost of living

To better understand how rising cost of living impacts various communities, REACH sought out views from different segments of Singaporeans, such as rental flat residents, landed property residents, homeowners (both prospective and current), as well as people staying in co-living spaces.

Job security and employability

Similarly, different segments of the working population have varying concerns over job security and employability. REACH conducted three Listening Points to gather views, including a collaboration  with LinkedIn to hear the views of young PMETs and new job entrants, and an online survey to reach out to platform workers. We also held a physical Listening Point in the Central Business District to seek feedback from PMETs on their employment experiences.

Ageing and retirement concerns

Another topic that many Singaporeans are concerned about is ageing, namely healthcare access and retirement adequacy. REACH, together with the Ministry of Finance, conducted Listening Points with residents living in landed estates to find out if they felt confident about their retirement, and to share with them how the Government is supporting them. We also conducted Listening Points in the heartlands such as Ang Mo Kio and Bedok to find out more about seniors’ concerns over ageing and retirement.

Housing

For a deeper understanding of public opinion on home ownership, REACH partnered with Varsity Voices – a student-led inter-university initiative – and Shin Min Daily News to organise dialogues on the accessibility of public housing with youths and Mandarin-speaking Singaporeans respectively. These dialogues supplemented the focus group discussions conducted after NDR.

Social mobility and inclusivity

Singapore’s future depends on the unity of our society and ensuring that individuals are able to achieve social mobility. We conducted Listening Points at schools, the heartlands, and collaborated with community partners such as NUSPA, SINDA, Mendaki, MUIS, M3 and 4PM to hear from youths and the Indian and Malay-Muslim communities.

Digitalisation and cybersecurity

As technology becomes increasingly indispensable in our lives, digital threats prove to be a growing concern. REACH collaborated with Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News and radio station UFM1003 to engage the Mandarin-speaking crowd and share scam prevention tactics with them. Through the combination of print newspaper articles, radio talk shows livestreamed on Facebook and physical dialogues, REACH helped to strengthen the public’s awareness of the latest scam tactics, and to educate the public on ways to protect themselves against scammers while enjoying the convenience of digitalisation.