QUALITY OF LIFE IN TOA PAYOH

Abstract

Increasing interest has been shown in the study of quality of life (QOL) in various countries over the last few decades. There are many different factors that influence QOL including cultural, social and economic factors, the environment itself and the age and lifestage of the individuals. How people define QOL varies according to where they live and work, whether a quiet residential area, a lively city area or a rural setting. Thus, QOL is a multi-faceted concept. By using subjective social indicators, this dissertation aims to measure the QOL of Housing and Developer's Board (HDB) residents living in Toa Payoh area - one of the oldest estates in Singapore. With so many new towns like Punggol 21 and Sengkang coming up, it will be interesting to examine the overall life satisfaction of Toa Payoh residents so as to make a comparison and to improve QOL of residents living in Toa Payoh. A study of QOL in mature estates like Toa Payoh is of relevance to planners and the government as it will help to provide a guide to planners in designing and planning of new towns. By using 18 indicators in this study, the importance and satisfaction of each aspect of life for the residents were evaluated. Health, public safety and family life were recorded to be the most important aspects in the residents' lives whereas health, family life and education were deemed to be the most satisfied domains to the residents. In general, residents living in Toa Payoh were quite satisfied with their life at a high QOL mean score of 3.82.