SINGAPORE – Most respondents in the latest Graciousness Survey 2024 were satisfied with their relationship with neighbours, but the vast majority, or 83 per cent, said they faced barriers to interacting with them.
Some reasons include coming home at different times, closed doors and not knowing what to say to each other – a common sentiment among younger people, according to survey results that were released on Sept 21.
The Graciousness Survey is conducted annually by the Singapore Kindness Movement to track graciousness and neighbourliness in Singapore.
The latest survey was conducted in January 2024, and involved a representative sample of 1,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents.
There has been an improvement in graciousness in online spaces over the last six months, although respondents feel that more education on gracious online behaviour is still needed, the survey found.
Neighbours have been more willing to offer and accept small acts of help, reduce unintentional noise, and are more likely to inform one another of noise-producing activities ahead of time.
More residents are also open to resolving issues directly with their neighbours, rather than resort to seeking assistance from official avenues.
These improvements come as the Government had on Aug 12 announced it would be setting up a unit to resolve serious neighbourly disputes related to noise or hoarding.
Officers under the new Community Relations Unit will be able to issue a direction requiring neighbours to go for mediation, or install noise sensors in homes to collect data on the direction, timing and intensity of noise after obtaining consent from residents in the affected units.
Across different neighbourly behaviour, the most common ones which were cited as “important” were: not smoking in common areas or near windows, balconies, or other areas; playing their part to keep common spaces clean and tidy; and keeping noise levels down, especially during the night.
The survey results were released at the annual OneService Kakis (OSK) Appreciation event held at the Ministry for National Development (MND), where 47 people were recognised by the Municipal Services Office (MSO) – a unit under MND – for their efforts in improving living conditions in neighbourhoods.
The OSK network was set up in 2021 to cultivate an informed and active pool of community stakeholders to address municipal issues. Currently, MSO has about 3,700 “kakis” in the network.
One of the award recipients, Mr Johny Tan, 38, who is chairman of Boon Lay Zone D Residents’ Network, led a project, which was completed in March 2024, to address issues such as corridor clutter, littering at void decks and obstruction of pathways.
Known as the Heartland Kindness Mural, the project involved painting wall murals around the neighbourhood to promote considerate behaviours among residents.
Most residents satisfied with relationship with neighbours but face barriers to interaction: Survey
