The ethos of self reliance as put forth by Singapore's government leaders seems to have filtered down to the ground.
In a survey conducted on some 800 respondents, the Institute of Policy Studies or IPS found that some 80 percent of them think that people should rely more on personal initiative and sacrifice rather than the government to cope with the current economic crisis.
The highest level of agreement came from those in the 30 to 39 age group and perhaps not surprisingly, those in the highest household income band.
The lowest level of agreement came from respondents in the low household income bracket, but still the figure was at 77 percent.
But if government assistance were needed, respondents across all age groups said rebates on taxes and government charges and direct financial assistance were considered of most benefit.
Rebates were deemed most important for those with a household income of more than 2,500 dollars.
On the other hand, financial assistance was most important to those with a household income of less than 2,500 dollars.
In other findings, respondents also indicated they could cope for an average of eight and a half months if they were to lose their main source of income.
The shortest length was found in the low household income group who said they could cope for about 6.3 months. (eds: less than 2.5k)
A majority said they would rely heavily on their savings to tide them over, while about one in three respondents said they would be willing to take on any job regardless of the pay.
However, if the downturn were to persist, social stresses could emerge.
About a third of those in the 21 to 29 age group and those in the low household income group felt that they were worse off with having foreigners in Singapore.
Still, when viewing this from a national perspective, respondents were more likely to say that Singapore is better off having foreigners here.
Everything considered, respondents felt that Singapore had benefitted more from government measures than they had at the personal level.
The survey was conducted in February, shortly after the Budget was announced and debated in Parliament.
--938Live