The proportion of those who felt stressed fell from 50% between April 21 and 23, 2020, to 31% between June 24 and July 4 this year.
“Despite the fact that things have obviously improved, the positivity on the rise hasn’t kind of undone all kinds of declines, struggles, inconveniences that people are going through,” Dr Mathews said.
Over 2,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents were interviewed online in the fifth edition of the article series, which is co-authored by Dr Mathews, Associate Director of the IPS Social Lab Mike Hou and their colleague, the research assistant Fiona Phoa.
TRUST IN GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP
Given that the COVID-19 outbreak was a test of governance, and “particularly important for Singapore at this time given our leadership transition phase”, the researchers assessed whether respondents trusted government leadership to moving Singapore forward through the pandemic.
Following Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s announcement that Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong would lead the People’s Action Party’s Fourth Generation (4G) team, respondents were asked if they believed that the government had the best possible 4G leader.
About six in 10 people (57-60%) thought the Singapore government had the best possible 4G leader to navigate divisions within society, to navigate Singapore’s relationships with other countries, and to help navigate the post-COVID-19 economic recovery,” the newspaper said.
Although a ‘substantial proportion’ of respondents generally expressed ‘healthy levels’ of confidence in the direction of 4G, more needs to be done to address Singaporeans’ concerns about specific areas of their lives, in particular, their issues. livelihoods like the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike, according to the newspaper.
TO ADVANCE
Although Singaporeans have generally shown resilience in the face of COVID-19 and have adapted reasonably well to life with COVID-19, the “insidious effects of the pandemic on the psychological well-being of individuals, particularly at longer term, should not be overlooked,” the newspaper notes.
The document revealed that what would help the government’s “ultimate goal” of being able to live with COVID-19 was to encourage individuals to “keep the end in mind”.
This effectively increases preparedness for endemic life, especially among the more hesitant, according to the journal.
“Keeping the end in mind involves a clear articulation of the national goal of being able to defeat (but not necessarily eradicate) the virus by being able to live a much more ‘normal’ life,” the newspaper says.
“It involves embracing the spirit of resilience, rather than fear, and a vision of possibility – that it is possible to experience life as before.”
The researchers added that it also forces people to wean themselves off “tightly focused attention on (COVID-19) case numbers,” which isn’t helpful in the larger scheme of things.
Especially since the vast majority of the population, including the most vulnerable, has been sufficiently vaccinated against the disease.
It is hoped that this aspect of the study will provide useful information to improve public communication efforts related to COVID-19, according to the document.
“COVID-19 is a defining moment in the collective history of our nation. Looking back, a lot may have been lost. But, looking forward, we hope more will be gained as we learn from this experience and move forward together through COVID-19,” he added.