Singapore’s PAP sees dip in credibility with voters while opposition Workers’ Party makes gains: survey

An Institute of Policy Studies survey found more voters want political pluralism after some 60 years of one-party rule

While the 4,000 respondents were most positive about the PAP compared to other parties, the main opposition Workers’ Party narrowed the gap with the ruling party in terms of perceptions of credibility

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The survey found that the government’s Covid-19 plan, jobs and cost of living featured strongly in the election. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:30pm, 1 Oct 2020Updated: 8:57pm, 2 Oct 2020

More voters want political pluralism after some 60 years of one-party rule, according to a survey conducted by a Singapore think tank after the July general election, which saw the highest number of opposition politicians elected since independence.

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) found that respondents who could be described as “Conservative” – those who disagreed that political pluralism was valuable and Singapore’s electoral system should change to make that happen – fell to 18.5 per cent from 44.3 per cent seen in a questionnaire conducted after the 2015 election.

The “Pluralist” group – whose views were opposite of “Conservatives” – rose to 22.4 per cent from 18 per cent in 2015. Those in the “Swing” category, with a mix of views, increased sharply from 37.8 per cent to 59.2 per cent.

The survey found that while “Pluralists” tended to be younger and in a higher socio-economic group – in terms of educational attainment, housing type and household income – there was also an increase in such views among those in other socio-economic groups, including those who did not have a university degree and reported a lower household income.

The research team, led by Deputy Director (Research) Gillian Koh, attributed these trends to two reasons, with one being the consistent support of pluralism among those with higher socio-economic status. But the second factor was due to bread-and-butter concerns among groups more vulnerable to the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, they said.

“Such respondents felt there was a need for political opposition in parliament. If indeed so, this second factor will be specific to the difficult economic conditions surrounding [this year’s election],” the researchers wrote.