{"id":35409,"date":"2025-11-10T15:00:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T07:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/?p=35409"},"modified":"2025-11-10T16:40:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T08:40:07","slug":"nus-fass-professors-featured-in-cna-documentary-being-singaporean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2025\/11\/10\/nus-fass-professors-featured-in-cna-documentary-being-singaporean\/","title":{"rendered":"NUS FASS Professors Featured in CNA Documentary\u00a0Being Singaporean"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new Channel NewsAsia (CNA) documentary series\u00a0Being Singaporean<\/em>, hosted by comedian Rishi Budhrani, explores what it means to belong in Singapore on the nation\u2019s 60th year of independence. Drawing on a CNA-Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) survey on national identity in Singapore, the programme examines how race, class, country of birth, and even National Service shape Singaporeans\u2019 sense of identity \u2013 \u00a0and what may be challenging that cohesion today.<\/p>\n

The CNA-IPS survey, conducted in late 2024 with 2,000 citizens and permanent residents, sought to define the Singapore identity after six decades of nation-building. It found that nearly half of respondents felt the national identity had strengthened over the past decade, with \u201cSinglish\u201d, multiculturalism, and national symbols like the Merlion and hawker food among the most cited markers. Yet about four in ten believed foreigners and new citizens negatively affect that identity, reflecting tensions between Singapore\u2019s proud multicultural ethos and anxieties over economic competition and social change.<\/p>\n

Two NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences academics,\u00a0Associate Professor Daniel P. S. Goh<\/a>\u00a0(NUS Sociology and Anthropology) and\u00a0Professor Elaine Lynn-Ee\u00a0Ho<\/a> (NUS Geography), offered key insights into how national identity is evolving.<\/p>\n

In the first episode, A\/P Goh noted that compared to a decade ago,\u00a0almost half of respondents now feel that Singapore\u2019s national identity has strengthened, reflecting growing emotional attachment to the idea of Singapore. He described how national rituals, such as the National Day Parade, have shifted from showcasing military strength to cultivating\u00a0\u201cemotional citizenship\u201d \u2013 fostering shared purpose, pride, and belonging in a small city-state that must continually articulate a long-term national mission. However, he also pointed to the\u00a030% who feel identity has weakened, raising questions about whether worries over globalisation, unequal progress, or being left behind might be shaping perceptions \u2014 and whether class differences matter in how Singaporeans experience belonging.<\/p>\n

Complementing this, in the second episode, Prof Ho highlighted\u00a0country of birth\u00a0as the top factor associated with tensions around identity. Many Singaporeans feel that newer immigrants and citizens may not yet intuitively share local values, norms, and multicultural practices. Survey data shows concern that newcomers may not fully integrate socially or develop long-term commitment \u2013 prompting anxiety about displacement and whether Singapore\u2019s social fabric is being stretched. At the same time, she emphasised that these groups are now part of Singapore\u2019s future, and that positive engagement and value alignment can\u00a0strengthen cohesion and belonging for both newcomers and locally born Singaporeans.<\/p>\n

Together, their insights underscore a complex moment in Singapore\u2019s national story: pride in shared progress and identity, alongside unease about inclusivity, solidarity, and what it means to \u201cgrow up Singaporean\u201d in an increasingly global and diverse society.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Watch the episodes:
\n<\/strong>Being Singaporean \u2013 Part One (A\/P Daniel P. S. Goh is interviewed from\u00a019:00 to 22:04): https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/watch\/being-singaporean\/part-one-5435046<\/a>)
\nBeing Singaporean \u2013 Part Two (Prof Elaine Lynn-Ee Ho is interviewed from\u00a025:38 to 30:04): https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/watch\/being-singaporean\/part-two-5437446<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo: iStock\/anahtiris<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The new Channel NewsAsia (CNA) documentary series\u00a0Being Singaporean, hosted by comedian Rishi Budhrani, explores what it means to belong in Singapore on the nation\u2019s 60th year of independence. Drawing on a CNA-Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) survey on national identity in Singapore, the programme examines how race, class, country of birth, and even National Service […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":348,"featured_media":35422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4541,4529,4609,4545,4604],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geography","category-news","category-singapore-research-nexus","category-sociology","category-visible"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/348"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35409"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35429,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35409\/revisions\/35429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}