Majority of S'poreans don't feel negative about foreigners in Singapore

REACH is the national feedback and engagement unit under Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information with a mission to facilitate feedback between citizens and government.

In a statement today, REACH said the polls found that nearly half or 49 per cent of the respondents were neutral, while 35 per cent were either very positive or positive about foreigners in Singapore.

Negative sentiments were low as only 14 per cent of the respondents were either very negative or negative about foreigners in the republic.

According to REACH, a telephone poll was conducted among 2,100 randomly selected Singapore citizens aged 15 years and above from Aug 11 to 21, 2020; and an online poll was conducted among 1,050 randomly selected Singapore citizens aged 15 years and above from Aug 21 to 24, 2020.

The polls also revealed that respondents who were unemployed were more likely to feel negative towards foreigners and that job-related concerns about foreigners were also more pronounced among the unemployed.

Nearly half or 47 per cent of respondents did not mention any concerns about foreigners, but 23 per cent mentioned job-related concerns and 16 per cent were concerned about the social habits of foreigners such as perceptions of cleanliness and talking loudly.

Meanwhile, REACH said Singaporeans generally agreed with the importance of remaining open to foreigners.

This is after the polls showed that the majority of the respondents or 63 per cent of them strongly agreed or agreed that it is important that Singapore remains open to foreigners, 25 per cent were neutral about the question, while only 10 per cent strongly disagreed or disagreed with the statement, it said.

REACH said respondents who were unemployed were more likely to be neutral on the importance of Singapore remaining open to foreigners.

Eighty-one per cent of the respondents also agreed that it is good that Singapore is a regional hub as it provides good job opportunities for Singaporeans, even if some jobs will go to foreigners.

The remaining 19 per cent, however, felt that it is better for Singapore not to be a regional hub, so as to reduce the number of foreigners, even if it meant fewer job opportunities for Singaporeans.

Reviewing the survey findings, REACH chairman Tan Kiat How, who is Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of National Development said:

“During this difficult period, Singaporeans are understandably anxious over job security and career opportunities.

“The Government remains committed to helping Singaporeans keep their jobs or find new ones. Nevertheless, it is heartening to know that many Singaporeans understand the need for Singapore to remain open to global talent.”