More Singaporeans now see Singlish as a symbol of national identity, survey finds - Singapore News

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans are increasingly embracing both English and Singlish as part of their everyday lives and national identity, according to a new survey by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).

The findings, drawn from IPS’ “Race, Religion and Language” surveys conducted in 2013, 2018 and 2024, suggest that more Singapore residents now see English proficiency as a strength while also becoming more comfortable with the use of Singlish.

The latest survey, carried out between April and August 2024, involved interviews with 4,000 residents across Singapore.

According to the report, 81.5 per cent of respondents in 2024 said they spoke English well or very well, up significantly from 71.9 per cent in 2013. The improvement was especially pronounced among younger Singaporeans. Nearly all respondents aged between 18 and 35 — 97.3 per cent — rated their English proficiency positively.

In contrast, only about six in 10 respondents aged 65 and above felt they spoke English well.

The survey also found growing familiarity with Singlish. In 2024, 57.8 per cent of respondents said they could speak Singlish well, compared to 46.8 per cent a decade earlier.

Younger respondents appeared most comfortable with Singlish, with 80 per cent of those aged 18 to 35 saying they could speak it at least well. Usage in casual settings has also risen sharply. The proportion of respondents who said they frequently used Singlish when speaking with friends climbed from 39.2 per cent in 2013 to 55 per cent in 2024.

Researchers noted that Singlish is increasingly viewed as more than just an informal way of speaking. It is also becoming a marker of national identity.

In 2018, half of the respondents said Singlish gave Singaporeans a sense of identity. By 2024, that figure had grown to 57.8 per cent.

Still, most respondents distinguished informal and formal contexts. The survey found broad agreement that Singlish was appropriate in casual interactions with friends and family, as well as in everyday settings such as hawker centres. However, standard English remained the preferred choice for formal communication, including classrooms, workplace emails and government speeches.

The report also examined attitudes towards mother tongue languages. Overall self-assessed proficiency levels remained relatively high, with 80.9 per cent of Chinese respondents saying they spoke Mandarin well. Among Malay respondents, the figure stood at 93.2 per cent, while 92.9 per cent of Tamil respondents rated their proficiency positively.

However, fewer respondents believed their mother tongue skills had improved over the past decade. Only 36.5 per cent felt their native language proficiency had become better, compared to 62.4 per cent who believed their English had improved.

Younger respondents, as well as those with higher education levels and incomes, were more likely to feel that their mother tongue proficiency had declined.

The survey also pointed to a broader shift in how Singaporeans identify themselves linguistically. In 2013, 65.1 per cent of respondents said they identified most strongly with their mother tongue or heritage language. By 2024, that proportion had fallen to 50.4 per cent.

Over the same period, the proportion of respondents who identified most with English or Singlish rose from 33.8 per cent to 47.6 per cent.

Researchers said the findings suggest that while mother tongue languages continue to hold cultural importance, English and Singlish are increasingly being used to express a shared Singaporean identity.

They added that the trend is significant because language shapes not only communication, but also questions of identity, cultural belonging and Singapore’s place in a globalised world.

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