Political Participation in Singapore: Findings from a National Survey

Abstract

Discusses whether the political culture in Singapore, once viewed to be passive, is changing & whether people feel that they have any influence at all in the governance process, drawing on survey data from 1,054 citizens & permanent residents. The Singapore government has also, during the 1990s, attempted to open channels of feedback & consultation on public policy to invite greater participation. The aim here is to ascertain if people felt that these channels were indeed accessible & adequate, & whether they were willing to use or had ever used them to express their views on public policy. A third set of issues revolves around whether people were willing to serve in government-related & non-government-related organizations as modes of political participation & community involvement.