Public Cleanliness Satisfaction Survey [2018]

• Main Authors: STRAUGHAN, Paulin, MATHEW, Mathews
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2019
• Subjects: Singapore; survey; public cleanliness; transportation; leisure spaces; food outlets; Asian Studies; Place and Environment; Sociology
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2855; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/4112/viewcontent/Public_Cleanliness_Satisfaction_Survey_2018___public_report_15may2019__Final_.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

The Singapore Management University undertook the second wave of the Public Cleanliness Satisfaction Survey (PCSS) with over 2000 Singapore resident respondents. The 2018 wave of the PCSS continued to reflect the overall satisfaction with public cleanliness in Singapore. There was a slight increase in the proportion of Singaporeans satisfied with the overall cleanliness of public areas which they had recently used (82% in 2017 vs. 84% in 2018). Significantly more Singaporeans are satisfied with the cleanliness of spaces after public events (63% in 2017 vs. 74% in 2018). Satisfaction with the cleanliness of food outlets is still the lowest among public spaces, but some areas have shown significant improvement. For example, more Singaporeans are satisfied with the cleanliness of wet markets (65% in 2017 vs. 73% in 2018). Singaporeans are also becoming more prosocial when it comes to matters of public cleanliness. There has been an increase in pro-social behaviours, such as people clearing their own utensils at hawker centres. More Singaporeans reported that they cleared their utensils at hawker centres most or all of the time (35% in 2017 vs. 49% in 2018). Additionally, more Singaporeans reported seeing others clearing their own utensils at hawker centres at least some of the time (80% in 2017 vs. 88% in 2018). There is also much consensus among Singaporeans about what constitutes littering. Improper disposal of an item no matter whether it was small or inconvenient was still considered as littering. There was considerable support for enforcement to ensure less littering with 76% of respondents wanting the government to put more focus on having persistent litterers pick up litter through Corrective Work and 65% hoping for more enforcement officers on the ground. Credit for the increased satisfaction with cleanliness must go to all the stakeholders involved – public agencies, cleaning contractors and residents who have worked towards improving cleanliness standards. Nonetheless relying only on cleaning services to achieve higher levels of cleanliness, is not sustainable in the longer time, especially in areas which currently do not have high levels of satisfaction. This calls for more concerted efforts where Singaporeans, public agencies and food outlets co-create a culture of cleanliness in these spaces.