June 27, 2025
SINGAPORE – While Western research shows that democracies with more civil liberties tend to be more united, South-east Asia goes against the grain.
Here, there is no clear link between social cohesion and type of government, a study has found.
Instead, the quality of governance – especially traits such as integrity and being free from corruption – appears to play a more decisive role.
This was among the findings of researchers from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in their South-east Asian Social Cohesion Radar preliminary report released on June 26.
The report, which covered all 10 Asean states, also made recommendations for countries to strengthen social cohesion.
The region has a variety of governance structures, such as neo-liberal democracies and top-down paternalistic states, researchers noted.
This difference from Western research findings reaffirms the need for research with a more local or regional lens, said Dr Leong Chan-Hoong, who hopes to conduct another iteration of the study in 2028.
Dr Leong, a senior fellow at RSIS and head of its Social Cohesion Research Programme, presented the findings at the International Conference on Cohesive Societies on June 25.
The conference invited participants from over 50 countries, including those in South-east Asia, to discuss multiculturalism.
The study surveyed about 1,000 people each from the 10 Asean states, and compared each country’s social cohesion score – calculated from responses to 60 statements – against various socio-economic factors.
The score covers three areas – social relations, or the relationships between individuals and groups in society; connectedness, or the relationship between individuals, communities and the state; and focus on the common good, which covers solidarity, respect and civic participation.
Researchers found that a higher gross domestic product per capita tends to mean a more cohesive society. But factors other than economic resources contribute to cohesion, Dr Leong told The Straits Times.
This is why Singapore is an outlier where this trend is concerned – it has the highest GDP per capita but not the highest social cohesion score.
It suggests a “ceiling effect” at some point, where extra social and economic development may not mean more social cohesiveness.
Dr Leong added that more detailed findings, expected by the end of 2025, will focus on understanding these other factors that affect social cohesion.
“There are other cultural, symbolic aspects that we have to consider when we try to unpack an amorphous concept like cohesion,” he said.
The report recommended that policymakers should proactively engage various communities. Countries should also harness the ties between ethnic groups, religious leaders and non-governmental organisations to strengthen links between communities and their leaders.
It also suggested that countries develop policies to prioritise the common good, such as those that promote income equality, societal resilience and heritage preservation.
This is the second iteration of the study. In 2022, a smaller version of the study surveyed 100 thought leaders – academics, policymakers – from each country. The 2025 sample was more representative.
Dr Leong said there was some consistency across the two studies. The quality of social relations stayed generally robust and resilient across all countries, while levels of trust in institutions and perceived fairness continued to be lower. The focus on common good also remained more challenging.
In the 2022 study, Singapore was ranked the most cohesive society, followed by Thailand. In the latest study, Singapore was sixth, with Vietnam and Brunei having the highest scores.
Dr Leong said the 2022 study participants likely knew more about Singapore’s framework in managing diversity and may see Singapore as more resilient and cohesive, as compared to the ordinary Singaporean represented in the 2025 study.
He added that comparisons across the region are challenging due to the countries’ different stages of economic development.
Singapore strongest in social relations, needs work on solidarity
The study showed that Singapore was strongest in social relations, with 79 per cent of participants agreeing or strongly agreeing with statements in this domain.
This was followed by connectedness (71.7 per cent) and focus on the common good (67.9 per cent). The overall social cohesion score was 73.1 out of a possible 100.
It found that those who were younger or from lower-income groups reported lower social cohesion scores.
Among the statements that Singaporeans agreed more with: “People in my country are comfortable interacting with others who have a different religious identity” and “People from diverse backgrounds in my country live together peacefully most of the time”.
Both statements, which fall under the social relations domain, scored above 87 per cent.
Among the lowest scoring statements were those about whether participants felt people here find it important to do community or voluntary work (48.9 per cent), or to donate to the poor (52.5 per cent).
Both statements are under the common good domain.
Dr Leong said that in an ultra-competitive environment, some people may consider contributing, giving back and volunteering as a hindrance to progress.
Singapore needs a conversation to explore how to change this mindset because if the community as a whole falters, everyone would be affected regardless of economic success, he added.
Under connectedness, which includes trust in institutions, only 51.3 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that people feel their voices are heard when policies are made by decision makers.
Dr Leong said researchers are still scrutinising this finding but noted that in the past year or two, there has been some disquiet in society arising from domestic and global challenges.
“It is normal to disagree, but (people) want to know that you have taken my feedback seriously with due consideration,” he added.
More broadly, Dr Leong suggested that Singapore learn from other countries in the region which face challenges such as civil war or natural disasters but have robust ratings on the focus on common good.
There are other variables that affect how people feel about cohesion, and Singapore can learn from them on how to bring communities together.
He added that Singapore is also a victim of its own success, with a strong and efficient government. People may feel they can leave things to the state, he said.
“We may have lost out on that initiative, as opposed to some other more economically challenged countries,” said Dr Leong.
One area Singapore can look at is what are the areas the state can take a step back and allow communities to forge through their own initiatives, he added.
- Goh Yan Han is political correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy.