What people need in Singapore

what people need in singapore: A household budgets study

What people need in Singapore:

A household budgets study

Ng Kok Hoe Teo You Yenn Neo Yu Wei Ad Maulod Stephanie Chok Wong Yee Lok

1

Acknowledgements

We thank the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) and all funders for making this project possible; Abigail Davis and Matt Padley at the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University for their advice and encouragement; as well as focus group participants for their generous contributions during the discussions. We are also grateful to Professors Donald Hirsch and Linda Lim for reviewing the report; Janel Lau, Tay Mei Ling, Sasha Syahirah Rouse, Agatha Teng and Alison Kuah for research assistance; Vikki Khung for report design; Jolene Tan for her many contributions to the project; Dr Lee Khai Pin for his expert advice on healthcare; and NutriWerkz Pte Ltd for supporting the development of the food budgets.

To cite this report: Ng, K. H., Teo, Y. Y., Neo, Y. W., Maulod, A., Chok, S., & Wong, Y. L. (2021). What people need in Singapore: A household budgets study.

Note: All monetary figures in this report are in Singapore dollars.

what people need in singapore: A household budgets study

Contents

Executive summary

6

Introduction

12

Methodology

17

Findings

30

Household budgets

30

How goods and services meet basic needs

36

How the budgets compare to expenditure data

51

How the budgets compare to work incomes

52

How the budgets compare to public schemes

59

How households fare compared to MIS budgets

65

A living wage that households need

67

Conclusion and policy implications

71

References

76

About the authors

80

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what people need in singapore: A household budgets study

List of tables

Table 1 Profile of study participants

25

Table 2 Monthly MIS budgets for older people

29

Table 3 MIS budgets for three household types

31

Table 4 Assumed flat sizes based on number and sex of children

49

Table 5 Monthly housing costs for households with two children, 7?12

50

and 13?18 years old

Table 6

Composition of actual household expenditures in Singapore and

51

MIS budgets

Table 7 Wage interventions compared to MIS budgets

60

Table 8 Transfers and subsidies for children compared to MIS budgets

61

Table 9 Retirement income protection compared to MIS budget

63

Table 10 Cash transfers for low-income households compared to MIS

65

budgets

Table 11a Household income for single parent with one child, 2?6 years old 66

Table 11b Household income for partnered parents with two children, 7?12 66 and 13?18 years old

Table 12 A possible living wage for households in Singapore

70

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what people need in singapore: A household budgets study

List of figures

Figure 1 Prices of selected grocery and household items from April to

27

December 2020

Figure 2 Average wait times for delivery by Giant and Sheng Siong from

28

April to December 2020

Figure 3 Budget components for children of different ages

34

Figure 4 MIS budgets for single and partnered parents with one child at

35

different ages

Figure 5 National average monthly work income per household member

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by decile groups compared to MIS budgets for single and

partnered parents

Figure 6 National median monthly work income of full-time workers by

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age groups compared to MIS budgets for single and partnered

parents

Figure 7 National median monthly work income of full-time workers by

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educational level, occupation and type of work compared to MIS

budgets for single and partnered parents

Figure 8 National average monthly work income per household member

56

by housing type compared to MIS budgets for single and

partnered parents

Figure 9 National median monthly work income of full-time workers

57

aged 60 years and above by occupation and educational level

compared to MIS budget for a single elderly person

Figure 10 National median monthly work income of full-time workers

58

by gender compared to MIS budgets for single and partnered

parents

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