May 24, 2023

According to Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser (NUS Sociology & Anthropology and IPS Social Lab) and Ms Sim Kai Lin (IPS Social Lab), Singapore imagines itself as a middle-class society. In ‘Why does everyone think they are middle class?’ (Straits Times, May 2023), they answer the titular question and provide some solutions to the pains of middle class aspirations in Singapore.

While there is no single definition of ‘middle class’, A/P Tan and Ms Sim refer to metrics like occupation, income, and housing type to define the middle class. In the Singapore context, this refers to holding jobs in middle management (like senior manager or assistant vice-president) and the financial ability to cross over to private housing and transport. The ‘Singapore Dream’ also includes the expectation of mobility—the improvement in conditions of material success. This desire for material upgrading is what the researchers call the ‘Mobility Game’.

Whereas the Mobility Game was fairly easy to play in the 1970s and 1980s, when obtaining a university degree or other professional qualification was sufficient to earn a life of security and comfort, the researchers note that it is more difficult to obtain and maintain similar standards of middle class living now. They point to the need for the continual acquisition and upgrading of skills to enjoy stable employment and income in the current economic climate. They wonder, however, if playing the Mobility Game is necessary, or if Singaporeans are inflicting pain upon themselves by insisting on obtaining what are perceived to be middle class living conditions, defined by material success. As an alternative, A/P Tan and Ms Sim suggest being content with a ‘good enough’ life, or seeing success in ways beyond material attainment.

Some other ways a good life could be defined might be through one’s contributions to others and the greater good. The researchers postulate that if this paradigm shift is plausible,  then Singapore society can achieve greater solidarity, and individuals can attain contentment and positive mental health.

Read the article here: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/why-does-everyone-think-they-are-middle-class