November 16, 2021

The TODAY Youth Survey, which polled 1,066 respondents between the ages of 18 and 35, found that there was a high overall acceptance rate of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people among youth. However, the survey also found that fewer people were willing to accept family members having same-sex relationships. 75 percent of the respondents were willing to accept friends in same-sex relationships, but only 58 percent were willing to accept family members engaged in these relationships. The results of the TODAY Youth Survey are in line with the findings of a 2018 study conducted by the NUS Institute of Policy Studies which revealed that Singaporeans, particularly young people, had become more liberal towards homosexuality in the past five years.

The survey also found that women were the most accepting of LGBTQ individuals. A spokesperson from the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Gender and Sexuality Research Cluster (GSRC) explained that women are more likely to accept marginalized LGBTQ individuals because they themselves understand what it means to live on the margins of a patriarchal society.

Respondents were generally divided when asked about the media’s portrayal of LGBTQ issues. The NUS GSRC spokesperson clarified that under-representation in the media could mean several things. For example, it could mean that the media negatively represents individuals from this community, but it could also point to a superficial representation of the discussion of such issues. The spokesperson remarked that the under-representation of LGBTQ issues in the media needs to be contextualized and compared with the amount of media coverage given to cisgender heterosexual people and their issues, which receive more positive attention.

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