A good number of them think pre-marital sex is acceptable. At the same time, they think family ties are important and contribute to the family income. The Internet has rubbed off on them in a big way and many are technology-savvy. They are politically apathetic but attend religious services at least once a month.
A young Singaporean, in short, is far from the popular stereotype of a spoilt brat who eschews all traditional values. Rather, he is a hybrid of Asian values and Western thinking.
These people, born after 1982, belong to a group which demographers have dubbed Generation Y. In local lingo, they can be called the Maggi Mee generation because of their penchant for instant gratification. Their numbers are not to be sniffed at: there are round 427,000 of them and they make up about 12 per cent of the population. A representative sample of 363 Singaporeans aged 15 to 24 were polled in face-to-face interviews.
Nine out of 10 young Singaporeans believe in marriage, but half of them would consider divorce if things do not work out. Four out of 10 also deem pre-marital sex an acceptable practice.
Such attitudes could translate into serious social issues, warned Dr Frederick Toke, 43. The psychologist and clinical director of Celebrating Life Resource Centre said: 'If you have psychologically planned an escape route from the start, the marriage is doomed to fail.
'With so many young people viewing divorce as an option, you may find more dysfunctional families in future.' The younger generation, he added, has low frustration tolerance. 'If they want something, it must be had right away. This, coupled with the inability to resolve conflicts, means they are likely to take the easy way out rather than deal with the problem.'
Statistics seem to bear him out. The number of divorces in Singapore jumped 27 per cent from 3,813 in 1991 to 4,838 in 2001. More than half were marriages that lasted fewer than 10 years. Young couples aged 20 to 24 registered the highest divorce rate in 2001. However, sociologist and former Nominated MP Claire Chiang, 51, said the survey reflected the assertiveness of Gen Y to end an unhappy relationship.
'They are unlike our parents who tolerated all, just to keep up the 'face' of the marriage before the community,' added the mother of three. The young people's attitude towards pre-marital sex did not surprise parents and family counsellors.
Communications manager Calvin Teo, 52, a father of two, said: 'The attitude today seems to be that sex is no longer a big deal, it is just something to be experienced. And while teenagers are more aware of the consequences involved, they also seem more prepared to take the risk.'
Marital and family therapist Benny Bong, 45, believes that living in a media-saturated age where sex is used to sell almost anything plays a big part in influencing such thinking.
