Have you ever wondered HOW WELL Singaporeans fare for our personal relationships against other Asian countries & WHAT are the areas that contribute to relationship satisfaction for your partners/family & friends?
This blog post will help you build good awareness around these two KEY aspects. Like they say, ‘Knowledge is power’ & this knowledge will grant you the power to improve your existing relationships.
The information which I will be sharing in this post is largely adapted from the inaugural 2016 Prudential Relationship Index, which aims to better understand the existing state of people’s personal relationships in Singapore and throughout Asia. This index indicates ‘how satisfied people are with their primary relationships such as those with partners, children, family and friends‘.
How it helped me gain awareness
In fact, I was very thankful to be invited to the media briefing. Why so?
Many would deem M & I to be a pair of very loving couple that hardly quarrels. Truth be told, there were countless times when we suffered clashes in our ideologies and very harsh words were exchanged. I believe this is common not just to us but every other couples on this planet. Nonetheless, with this newly-acquired knowledge, I am working towards empowering my relationship with M to make it a rewarding one.
For this article, I will ONLY be sharing in details 3 of the Key highlights from the Prudential Relationship Index thatI feel strongly about:
1st Highlight
The 1st knowledge I would like to share is : ‘Singaporeans derive more fulfillment from their relationships with their SPOUSES than any other personal relationships’.
*James’ Opinion* Now, you know who you IMPACT the most around you! If you want your life to be fulfilling and smooth-sailing, start working on this relationship 1st & half the battle will be won!
People in Singapore also enjoy relatively strong ties with their children with a relationship score of 46/100, followed by parents(44/100), good friends(41/100) and lastly colleagues(23/100).
2nd Highlight
Guess the score your partner might have given you for ‘fulfilling what is IMPORTANT in a GOOD relationship’?
‘On average, the relationship score that people in Singaporean have for their partners is 63/100′. This means partners fulfill 63% of what people in Singapore believe is important in a GOOD relationship.’
From those surveyed, some of the integral aspects to a good relationships include being easy to get along with (77%), enjoying doing things together (75%), respecting your partner’s individuality (70%), being honest (66%), and enjoying the sound of companionable silence (62%).
So, moral of the story: You better start making yourself really easy with get along with!!!
3rd Highlight
Thirdly, sad to say, ‘Singaporean scored lower than many of their Asian peers on relationship fulfilment despite being more affluent’. Singapore is placed 7 out of 10 Asian countries, with an overall relationship score of 68/100.
Asian countries involved are Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, China, South Korea, Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong with Vietnam scoring the highest (83/100).
Doesn’t this lead you to think if ‘affluence has some form of inverse correlation to one’s happiness’? Or rather the more we have, the poorer we get!
*James’ Opinion* In my humble opinion, I would think Singaporean does not suffer from material poverty but an emotional one. As we strive towards meritocracy, many tend to leave behind what truly matters. I am no less guilty of this. I use to value climbing corporate ladder to eventually reach where I was aiming for. However, when I look back, I lost precious time to develop my passion and to be there with my family. Hence, now despite holding a time- & mentally-consuming management position in an MNC, I make a conscious effort to STOP work after typical working hours or over the weekend.
At this, I shall leave this controversial topic as a food for thought for you.
Indeed, the 2016 Prudential Relationship Index indicates that ‘there are many stressed relationships in Singapore’. In ANY given week, 24% of married people in Singapore surveyed think seriously about leaving their spouse.
*James’ Opinion* I would think 24% present a pretty high risk factor for divorce & breakup to happen; I cannot imagine the future implication should this number be allowed to continue to rise!
What would you think are the most likely sources of argument between couples in Singapore?
‘The most likely sources are children (46%), followed by money (41%) & housework (29%)’. It is noteworthy to know that quarrels over children may stem from the unequal responsibilities at home, with 51% of women saying they spend more time looking after the children compared with 25 per cent of men.
*James’ Opinion* My opinion on this in current context is that both parties are responsible. Many a times, the Asian mothers wrestle control or are overly protective of their kids even towards their daddy. As such, the Dads are used to perspective of leaving the daily chores of taking care of the baby to the Mummy. As time goes by, this breeds into unequal responsibilities at home. So, wouldn’t this be solved if Mummy gives more trust to the Daddy so as to allow them to take a more proactive responsibility towards taking care of his Baby while relieving yourself off the workload? 🙂
Other noteworthy Statistics in the Research:
4) ‘Coming to finances, people in Singapore are more financially independent than people in other parts of Asia, with 56% stating they receive no financial support from anyone. This compares with an Asian average of 37%.‘
– Money root of all evil? Not in this case if your spouse know how to already earn. They are looking into other aspects apart from money.
5) ‘The digital revolution has impacted relationships in Singapore, where partners and parents often compete with smart phones for love and attention. For instance, 32% of couples in Singapore say their partner sometimes prefers their mobile phones to spending time with them. Meanwhile, 48% say they spend more time messaging friends than actually talking face-to-face.‘
– Be conscious of your love for your phone/iPad vs your loved ones! Because many a times, they are VERY conscious of it!
6) ‘Singapore has the highest proportion of singles in Asia, with nearly one in four (23%) being unmarried and do not currently have partners. This compares with 15%for the region.
-At this rate, we are going to take over Japan as the next top greying population.
If you find this research and my sharing interesting, come join Maybeline and myself with Prudential as we attend their more in-depth discussion on 20 October that Gurmit Singh will host LIVE on Facebook at 6.30pm sharp over at Prudential Singapore Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/PrudentialSingapore/.
If you have any stories or questions you will like to share at this forum, feel free to join in the LIVE show on Facebook.
Lastly, please watch the video:
How your Relationship fare on Prudential’s Latest Relationship Index
