Attitudes, behaviours, and the well-being of older Singaporeans in the time of COVID-19: Perspectives from the Singapore Life Panel

• Main Authors: STRAUGHAN, Paulin T., TOV, William, KIM, Seonghoon, CHENG, Terence, HOSKINS, Stephen, TAN, Micah
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2020
• Subjects: Elderly; COVID-19; measures; well-being; attitudes; Singapore; pandemic; Asian Studies; Behavioral Economics; Emergency and Disaster Management; Gerontology; Health Economics; Public Health
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/rosa_reports/1; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=rosa_reports
• Institution: Singapore Management University

COVID-19 has affected all Singaporeans, regardless of age and socioeconomic status (SES). Many measures have been implemented by the government to control the spread of this disease, including restrictions on social gatherings, restrictions on overseas travel, and making it compulsory to wear a mask. Measures have also included a partial lockdown – known as the ‘circuit breaker’ – which began in April 2020. This forced Singaporeans to quickly adapt to a new normal with some doing better than others. This research brief provides an overview of how COVID-19 and its related measures have affected seniors in Singapore using data from the Singapore Life Panel (SLP). The SLP is a population representative monthly survey with a monthly response rate of about 7,500 respondents, tracking the lives of Singaporeans aged 55 to 75 to understand the factors that shape the well-being of older adults (see Annex B for a profile of respondents). Additional questions were fielded in the months of May 2020 and June 2020 in order to understand the impact of COVID-19 on respondents. The research in question thus explores key topics of interests such as the effect of COVID-19 as well as government responses to the pandemic on the attitudes, behaviours, and well-being of older adults in Singapore within the social, economic, and mental-health domains. Additionally, findings are contrasted between respondents of different socioeconomic status (SES) and education levels.