July 23, 2018

On 21 July, schools and grassroots organizations celebrate Racial Harmony Day to mark the communal riots of 1964 and teach the importance of maintaining racial and religious harmony in Singapore.

Asst. Prof. Vincent Chua (Dept. of Sociology) surveyed 1,143 Singapore residents aged 25 to 55, to find out whom they discussed important matters with, talked to when depressed, borrowed money from, and shared hobbies with to gain a clearer picture of their social networks. He found that because Malays and Indians share some common cultural practices, often including religion and similar socioeconomic status, they have more ties with each other than with Chinese. He notes that in comparison, minorities in Toronto, Canada, do not have equivalent cultural and socioeconomic unifiers. In addition, Singaporeans do not face overt pressures to conform to any dominant culture.

Asst. Prof. Chua also found that although Chinese have fewer opportunities for inter-ethnic contact because they outnumber Malays, Indians, and other ethnic groups, they are more willing to spend time with non-Chinese than commonly thought. Such research can help identify factors that encourage interethnic harmony and inform efforts to promote greater mutual understanding.

The article, “How Do Singaporeans Connect? Ties among Chinese, Malays and Indians” (2015), was published in the American Behavioral Scientist journal.

Click here to read the full article.