Survey shows Singaporeans least optimistic about future
By Lynlee Foo, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 02 April 2009 1643 hrs

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SINGAPORE: Affluent Singaporeans are the most pessimistic in Asia when it comes to their future, according to a survey by life insurer AXA.

Eight Asian economies – China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore – took part in the survey which was conducted between January and February.

The Philippines was ranked as the most upbeat, with a score of 84 on a scale of 100, followed by India's 83.8 and China's 66.9.

The survey polled 2,700 mass affluent residents between the ages of 25 and 50 on their views about life over the next five years. The study covered four aspects of life – career, retirement, family and health.

The 300 Singaporeans polled generally had the lowest scores in all four categories.

Angela Lau, head, Branding & Communications, AXA Life Insurance Singapore, said: "They're not so confident about their health and career, and how they are going to cope with the challenges in life. For the career perspective, they are actually very concerned about job security.

"One in four is worried about whether they will have a job in the next year or so and in the next five years. That's probably one of the reasons why they are not so optimistic about life at this juncture."

Ironically, Singaporeans also turned out to be the least affected by the economic turmoil, across the markets surveyed.

On how much they were impacted by the current economic crisis, Singaporeans rated six on a scale of one to ten – the lowest figure compared to their Asian counterparts.

The survey also showed that more than half of those polled planned to have children, and three in ten planned to have two or more children.


- CNA/so