‘Only 60% of parents explain racial matters to children’

SINGAPORE — Children should be educated about racial issues — such as why racism is bad for the country — and be allowed to interact with other races, a majority of respondents to a survey about race relations felt. 

But while about nine in 10 respondents believed that it is important to explain to their children why racism is bad for society, only about 60 per cent of the respondents who were parents actually did so, according to the aforementioned survey.

The findings were similar when it came to explaining to children the customs and practices of other races, explaining to children what people of other races find offensive, and explaining to them why people of other races do things differently. 

Respondents generally felt it was important, but among parents, only about 60 per cent actually explained it to their children. 

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A smaller proportion thought it was important to educate children on the merits of one’s own race. Only 77 per cent of respondents felt it was important, and among parents, 51 per cent did so.

According to the survey, the median age when respondents realised the differences between races was 10. Nineteen per cent of respondents were told by parents and elders not to mix too much with people of other races. 

This was more prevalent among Chinese respondents (21 per cent) compared to Malay (14 per cent) and Indian respondents (13 per cent).