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The HDB Sample Household Survey 2003 showed that
the standard of living of residents in HDB flats had generally improved. This
was reflected in their higher average monthly household income, higher
ownership of consumer goods and the increased number embracing an e-lifestyle. |
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Other key findings from the Survey were: |
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(a) An increasing proportion of residents
was prepared to live on higher storeys. |
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(b) An overwhelming 95.6% of the households
interviewed preferred to own rather than rent a flat. |
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(c) Kinship and community ties in HDB
estates remained strong. |
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(d) More residents had a sense of belonging
to the towns they lived in, and had participated in community activities. |
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(e) There were also more residents satisfied
with their present lives. |
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Sample Household Survey 2003 |
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HDB conducts the Sample Household Survey (SHS)
once every five years on residents living in HDB flats. |
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The objectives are to gather demographic
information, identify trends and monitor satisfaction levels on various
aspects of public housing. |
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The feedback obtained on the social and physical
aspects of the high-rise, high-density living environment will be used to
facilitate the planning of HDB towns, design of flats and management of
estates. |
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A total of eight such surveys have been completed
since 1968. This latest survey conducted in 2003 covered a total of 7,300
households in all the HDB towns and estates. The analysis on the data has been
completed and the salient findings are as follows. |
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Profile of HDB Resident Population & Households |
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The population living in HDB estates had increased
by 5.2% over the last five years to 2.84 million in 2003, and comprised about
84% of the population in Singapore. |
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However, the average household size had declined
over the years, from 6.2 persons in 1968 to 3.7 persons in 1998 and 3.5
persons in 2003. |
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Household sizes tended to be smaller in new towns
(e.g. Punggol) as well as mature towns (eg Queenstown), compared with towns of
intermediate age (e.g. Choa Chu Kang). |
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The population in HDB estates was also ageing. The
proportion of elderly residents aged 65 years and above had increased from
7.2% in 1998 to 7.6% in 2003. |
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Despite wage restraint and unemployment during the
recent economic downturn, the average monthly household income increased from
$3,719 in 1998 to $4,238 in 2003. The increase was higher for households
living in bigger flat types, with households living in 1- and 2-room flats
experiencing a slight dip in income. |
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The rising standard of living among HDB residents
was also reflected in high ownership of consumer goods. In particular,
ownership of DVD/VCD/VCR players had increased from 74.0% to 81.4%,
air-conditioners from 57.6% to 70.0% and personal computers from 49.3% to
68.6%. More than half of HDB households had internet access. About 30% had
used e-services, reflecting a move towards e-lifestyle. |
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Satisfaction with Physical Aspects of Living
Environment |
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Both surveys in 1998 and 2003 showed that what
residents liked most about living in HDB estates were the low housing cost and
the comprehensive estate facilities. |
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In particular, more than half of the households
interviewed said they would frequent the commercial facilities, such as the
markets/ supermarkets, shops, hawker centres and eating establishments, at
least once a week. Satisfaction levels with estate facilities were also very
high (93.4%). This reflected the success of HDB¡¯s efforts in planning
self-sufficient neighbourhoods and towns. |
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The residents interviewed also gave high ratings
on reliability of lifts (85.6%), tolerable or minimal noise level (86.3%) and
sufficient privacy from neighbours and passers-by (87.8%) - factors considered
important for high-rise, high-density living. Not surprisingly, an increasing
proportion of residents was prepared to live in higher storeys. About a third
were prepared to live in 40-storey or taller blocks. |
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Residential Mobility & Housing Aspirations |
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In 2003, only 18.6% of the households were
inclined to move in the next five years. This was much lower than the 35.7%
when the survey was last conducted in 1998. A higher proportion of households
was contented with their present housing units, at 55.0% compared with 42.8%
previously. |
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An overwhelming 95.6% of the households still
preferred to own rather than rent a flat. Among households who had moved to
another HDB flat since their marriage, only 14.5% had downgraded. |
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Among those who have moved since their marriage,
some 55.6% moved within the same town or to neighbouring towns within 5 km. |
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Kinship Ties |
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The survey also showed that kinship ties among
households in HDB estates remained strong. Some 90% of the older residents
received visits at least once a month from their married children, while 22%
received daily visits. The nearer the children lived, the higher the frequency
of visits. |
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The main purposes of the visits were to have meals
together (31.5%) and for childcare support (41.1%). Besides mothers,
grandparents were important childcare providers. |
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Community Bonding |
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In 2003, a resident knew an average of 10
neighbours, unchanged from the findings in 1998. While neighbourly
interactions were mainly in the form of exchange of greetings and casual
conversation, about half of the residents stated that they helped watch over
their neighbours¡¯ flats when necessary. This is a significant increase of 11
percentage points over the 40.9% in 1998. |
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Some 90% of the residents indicated a sense of
belonging to the towns they live in, higher than the 82.3% in 1998. The sense
of belonging increased with the age of the resident and length of residence. |
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The proportion of residents who participated in
community activities within the past 12 months increased from 13.2% in 1998 to
38% in 2003. |
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The most popular types of activities were
religious and festivals/ holiday events, such as National Day, Chinese New
Year, Hari Raya and Deepavali. These activities provided opportunities for
residents to appreciate the diverse cultures and build up a sense of mutual
respect. |
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Quality of Life |
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More residents were satisfied with their lives,
93.4% in 2003 compared to 89.1% in 1998. Residents were more satisfied with
their family life, personal health, and public security, which they also
ranked as most important. Working life/career, current household income and
cost of living were areas they were least satisfied with. |
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About 91% perceived themselves as middle class and
above. Some 80.6% expected their lives to improve or stay the same in 5 years¡¯
time due to personal or family-related reasons such as improved living
standards, good family life and being free from health problems. The remaining
19.4% who expected their lives to be worse in 5 years¡¯ time were concerned
largely with insufficient income and financial instability. |
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Elderly in HDB Estates |
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The proportion of elderly households in HDB
estates increased from 9.2% in 1998 to 10.7% in 2003. More elderly were living
in older towns/estates like Bukit Merah, Queenstown and Bedok. |
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About 73% of the elderly households lived in 3- or
4-room flats. Their household size was smaller, with about 2.5 persons per
household compared to 3.5 persons for all households. In 2003, some 16.3% were
one-person households, up from 13.7% in 1998. The elderly were generally
satisfied with their life. The majority of them found contentment in their
families, neighbours and the living environment. |
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Monographs and CD-ROM |
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The details of the findings of SHS 2003 are
published in the two monographs entitled: |
¡¤ Public Housing in Singapore: Residents¡¯ Profile
& Physical Aspects
¡¤ Public Housing in Singapore: Social Aspects & The Elderly |
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Each of these monographs is available at $15 a
copy. A CD-ROM containing both the two monographs is also available at $20
each. The prices are inclusive of GST. |
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Those interested can purchase them from the
Information Counter at first storey HDB HUB. Alternatively, they can download
and print the purchase form from
http://www.hdb.gov.sg and mail it together with a crossed cheque to: HDB
Hub, 480 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310480. |
Issued By : Housing & Development Board
Date : 20 Jun 2005 |
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Source:
Housing & Development Board Press
Release 20 Jun 2005 |
HDB Sample Household Survey 2003
