SINGAPORE, Oct 12 — The high level of tolerance that Singaporeans have for different faiths, with six in 10 saying they have a “personal connection” to at least one religion other than their own, is one marker of how the Republic’s religious diversity is “remarkable on a global scale”, a Pew Research Center analysis has said.

The analysis, published on the United States-based think tank’s website last Friday (Oct 6), noted that aside from having high religious diversity, with no more than around a third of the population following any one religion, Singaporeans also have much higher levels of tolerance for and acceptance for people of other faiths than other regional countries surveyed.

The analysis drew from a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, whose findings were reported by CNA last month, which polled more than 13,000 adults in Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India.

It said: “Singaporeans report high levels of interreligious tolerance and acceptance on multiple measures. This tolerance appears alongside a history of state-sponsored coexistence in the country.

“Ever since its independence in 1965, the government has staunchly pushed the idea that being multiracial and multireligious is foundational to the country.”

Why it matters

Singapore’s high levels of interreligious tolerance and acceptance on multiple measures is noteworthy as conflicts and tension arising from religious divides are relatively common around the world.

The latest instance of such conflicts is the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has already resulted in a death toll in the thousands.

In other examples, sectarian clashes frequently occur in Nigeria between the Muslim-majority North and Christian-majority South, while Buddhist-majority Myanmar had been embroiled in humanitarian controversies over the past few years pertaining to their treatment of the Rohingya people, a Muslim ethnic minority group in the country’s Rakhine State.

Religion not closely intertwined with Singaporean identity

The analysis noted that contrary to the findings from other countries polled in the 2022 Pew survey, where religion forms a substantial part of the national identity, Singaporeans do not believe that their religious beliefs play much of a role in determining their “Singaporean-ness”.

For instance, while around three in four of those Pew surveyed in Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia said that it is very important to belong to their nation’s majority religion to truly be part of their country, only 13 per cent of the 2,036 Singaporeans surveyed believe this to be true.

According to the Census of Population 2020, a third of all Singaporeans said that they followed Buddhism, followed by Christianity (18.3 per cent), Islam (14.7 per cent) and Taoism (10.9 per cent).

Almost one in five (17 per cent) said they did not identify with any religion.

Singaporeans ‘widely pluralistic’ and ‘broadly tolerant’

The Pew analysis also noted that in Singapore, followers of all faiths are “widely pluralistic in their beliefs”.

Among those who identify with a religion, around two-thirds, or 68 per cent, of those who identify with a religion believe that “many religions can be true”, compared to only three in 10 who believe that their religion is the “only true religion”.

Furthermore, a quarter said that they feel connected to three or more other religions and around a quarter say they feel connected to three or more other religions, the most of any of the countries surveyed.

Many Singaporeans also revere figures from religions other than their own. For instance, 25 per cent of Singaporean Buddhists say they pray or offer their respects to Jesus Christ, while 31 per cent say they pray or offer their respects to Ganesh, the Hindu god of beginnings.

Even among those who did not identify as a follower of any particular religion, more than a third (36 per cent) say they pray or offer their respects to Guanyin, or the Guanyi Bodhisattva.

Additionally, Singaporeans of all faiths are “broadly tolerant” and accepting of followers of different religions, with an overwhelming majority believing that most religions practised in the country are compatible with Singaporean culture and values.

Most also believe that other religions are peaceful, adding that they would accept a member of those faiths as a neighbour.

Citizens view cultural diversity as good for Singapore

The report also found that most Singaporeans view the presence of cultural diversity as a positive thing for the nation, the analysis noted.

Generally, more than half (56 per cent) of the Singaporeans polled said that having people of different religions, ethnic groups and cultures makes Singapore a better place to live, in contrast to only 4 per cent who said such diversity makes it a worse place to live.

Nonetheless, highly religious Singaporeans — defined in the analysis as people who believe religion to be “very important” in their lives — are especially supportive of national diversity.

More than six in 10 (65 per cent) of them said having people of many religions, ethnic groups and cultures makes their country a better place to live. — TODAY