Survey Shows That Only 50% of S’poreans Feel Fulfilled in Life

Last Updated on 2020-12-31 , 11:26 am

Have you ever wondered where will you be in five years’ time?

Those Facebook quiz games like to tell me that I’ll get really fit, get married and have a kid. I’m single right now so frankly speaking, I don’t know where Facebook got those ideas from.

And then Facebook also likes to do a daily throwback. What happened five years ago? What did you post? That’s when you realise, the life you live now probably wasn’t the life you envisioned way back when.

Because those Facebook quizzes (obviously) don’t seem so accurate after all.

A survey commissioned by insurance firm AXA reflected that one in two Singaporeans have not attained the kind of life they envision having.

This survey is the Better Life Index and aims to assess a Singaporean’s journey towards a “better life”.

Other findings include that 5 in 10  Singaporeans feel dissatisfied with their progress towards their short and long term goals.

OhHhHhH.

On a more positive note, the survey also showed that millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) scored the highest on the index and are the most driven to achieve their goals in life. They are also the most optimistic generation in their pursuit of their goals.

In other words, the younger folks are happier.

In general, respondents scored 50.4 in the index, a score that falls within the “fair” range. This indicates that Singaporeans still have a distance before attaining their ideal lives.

To be honest, I’m curious about the components that make up this index. As it turns out, this index is calculated based on the following:

Realisation:
Respondents were asked about their purpose in life, as well as their short and long term goals to achieve said purpose. Overall scores are in the “good” range, with millennials scoring the highest. This suggests that millennials are the most aware of their goals and aspirations. (Yay, my generation?)

Empowerment:
Respondents were asked if they feel capable of achieving their “better life” and what obstacles they expect to encounter. Finance appears to be the biggest concern of most and regarded as the greatest obstacle. Millennials, again, are the most optimistic.

Achievement:
Respondents reflected on how satisfied are they with regard to their progress. Only half of them stated that they felt fulfilled in their lives.

Overall, Singaporeans deemed that financial stability, health, family, and emotional wellbeing as key contributors towards their sense of fulfilment.

Interesting that these are the measurements of one’s ideal life, and not, say, the number of times one smile a day. Of course, what is important varies from person to person.

In case my boss reads this, I’m just going to say that hitting my article quota is my biggest source of happiness right now. And making sure I have a good meal after this, cos I’m hungry.

What about you? Maybe it’s time to consider, what makes you happy.

Featured Image: joyfull / Shutterstock.com