Singaporean Youth and Socioeconomic Mobility

Abstract

This report is based on a study by the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) conducted in 2016/17, which examines the perceptions of socioeconomic mobility among Singaporean youth. Subjects for the study were Singaporean polytechnic students in their final year of study and about to enter the workforce. This study is important as perception influences action — the failure to believe in the possibility of socioeconomic mobility can challenge its very possibility. Moreover, a polity is often built on the optimism and energy of its youth. As such, youths’ belief in upward socioeconomic mobility can influence Singapore’s economic future and success in building a progressive society.