Singaporeans’ subjective social mobility, personal and societal optimism, and political opinions: An exploratory study

Abstract

Objective and subjective socio-economic conditions have implications for social cohesion and socio-political behaviors in advanced countries. However, social mobility research focuses disproportionately on objective indicators, and few studies in non-Western contexts examine the role of subjective social mobility. Singapore presents an interesting case, given its commitment to meritocracy and growing social mobility concerns. In an exploratory manner, we first used latent profile analysis to describe Singaporeans’ subjective social mobility. Next, using multinomial logistic regression and linear regression models, we examined how socio-demographic variables relate to subjective social mobility profiles, and how the profiles influence personal and societal optimism and political opinions. Overall, most respondents had Middle Perceived Mobility (versus Low and High). Higher-SES Singaporeans also perceived higher social mobility. Additionally, High Perceived Mobility respondents had consistently higher personal and societal optimism. Overall, political opinions related to jobs, immigration, and integration and cost of living and socio-economic disparities were more varied.