Subjective assessment of urban quality of life in Singapore (1997–1998)

Abstract

Large-scale sample surveys of 1093 and 2187 respondents from 81 census divisions in Singapore were conducted in 1997 and 1998, respectively, to measure overall life satisfaction (or quality of life, QOL) as well as levels of importance and satisfaction towards various aspects of life. It was found that in 1997 the mean QOL score for Singaporeans, or QOL index, was moderately high at 3.61 (using a 5-point Likert scale) but this later dropped by 2% to 3.55 in 1998. On importance and satisfaction of different aspects of life, respondents consistently rated health and family life as more important than other aspects of life, and they were most satisfied with the aspect of family life. Respondents considered aspects of life such as politics, religion and leisure as least important and they were least satisfied with aspects of life such as wealth and consumer goods. The findings can be used by planners for assessing and monitoring the quality of life of Singaporeans, and for identifying related problems and devising policies and strategies.