In the News

28 Jan 2024 | Baby boom expected in China during Dragon Year not enough to save fertility crisis | The Straits Times

Assistant Professor Zheng Mu  commented on China's birth numbers in the coming Year of the Dragon, and how that squares with its falling birth rate and population decline.  For China to effectively boost its fertility rate, higher costs and systematic changes may be needed beyond the current governmental incentives offered.


13 Feb 2024 | Why the Year of the Dragon doesn't bode well for China's declining population| CNBC

Associate Professor Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan commented on Singapore's birth rates for 2024, noting that there may be a "small bump" this year, but will either sustain or continue to decline in the coming years.


18 April 2024| Waiting for the big reward: Children who are better in delaying gratification more likely to do well academically and have fewer behavioural problems | NUS News

Nationally representative data used in this study were part of the Singapore Longitudinal Early Development Study (SG-LEADS), led by Prof Yeung, funded by the Ministry of Education Social Science Research Thematic Grant, and housed by CFPR. The Delay-of-Gratification (DoG) choice paradigm indicated sound psychometric properties of the multi-trial actual choice task as a measure of DoG with Singaporean young children.


 16-17 May 2024 | Population Association of Singapore 2024 Annual Meeting

On the first day of the conference, Minister Rajah keynote address on Singapore's demographic challenges, emphasising the need to address falling fertility rates and a rapidly ageing population. She highlighted the importance of leveraging technological advancements to support an ageing workforce and enhance caregiving for the elderly.

The conference has been featured in The Straits Times, Tamil Murasu, CNA and 8world.

To view the full article/video clips, click on the following links:

Minister's speech

The Strait Times

CNA news

Zaobao

Channel 5 News (toward the end, starting at 22:10)

Channel News 8

Tamil Murasu


3 July 2024 | 'If it comes, it comes': Marriage? Kids? Singles are in no rush to settle down | The Straits Times

Associate Professor Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan pointed out a shift in marriage trends, noting a decreased urgency to marry amongst singles. She emphasised that marriage is still highly regarded, with many idealising a happy married life characterised by a comfortable home, stable income, and equality between partners in both earning and household responsibilities. However, many individuals are postponing marriage until they can achieve these conditions.


7 July 2024 | Social Network key to happiness of seniors with no kids: Study | The Sunday Times

Based on findings from the Childless Ageing in Singapore and Thailand (CAST) project, Associate Professor Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan highlighted the importance of strong social networks in supporting childless individuals' happiness and life satisfaction as they grow older without children to depend on. The Straits Times article featured the paper, published in April in The Journals of Gerontology, which found that four-fifths of childless individuals aged 50 and above in Singapore rated their well-being on comparable levels to those with children because they had support from family, friends or both.


7 July 2024 | Older adults without children bear lion's share of caregiving for parents: S'pore study | The Straits Times

Associate Professor Teerawichitchainan Bussarawan commented that these findings challenge the belief that childlessness indicates a break from traditional family norms. She noted that societal expectations for adult sons to support their parents may be weakening in Asia, and among childless individuals, factors like gender and birth order do not determine caregiving contributions.