FUNDED BY: Ministry of Education Social Science Research Thematic Grant

(MOE 2016 – SSRTG – 044)

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:Professor Wei-Jun Jean Yeung

Department of SociologyNational University of Singapore

Research Update Issue 1 | April 2020

Singapore Longitudinal EArly Development Study

fas.nus.edu.sg/cfpr/research/sgleads

sg_leads@nus.edu.sg

6601 4959 - SG LEADS Research Manager

HOUSED BY: Centre for Family and Population Research

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences National University of Singapore

CONTACT US:

(Updated on 18 May 2020)

Child’s Gender

51% 49%

5%10%

17%68%

Chinese

Malay

Indian

Others

Child’s Race

North

Central

North-East

East

West

15%

19%

24%

29%

13%

WHO ARE THE SG LEADS FAMILIES?

Boy Girl

A nationally representative sample of 5,021 Singaporean children under 7 in 3,485 households across the island.

Note: All percentages shown in this report are adjusted for sample selection probability and response rates.

5-6 Years Old

3-4 Years Old

0-2 Years Old 30%

30%

40%

5,021Children

2

17.8%

0.7%

17.5%

9%

3.6%

3.9%

2.7%

10.8%

Parents’ Education

38.5%34%

Secondary (’O’ / ‘N’ level)

No Formal Schooling/ Pre-Primary

Polytechnic Diploma

Post-Secondary (Non-tertiary)

Primary

Professional Qualification and other Diploma

Bachelor’s or Equivalent

Postgraduate Diploma/ Certificate

Master’s and Doctorate or Equivalent

16.6%

0.6%

16.7%

7.5%

3.5%

6.8%

2.5%

7.3%

Father

Mother

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF SG LEADS FAMILIES

HDB 4-Room Flats

HDB 1- and 2-Room Flats

Condominiums

HDB 5-Room and Executive Flats

HDB 3-Room Flats

Landed Properties

36.9%

3.7%

15.8%

28.3%

12.4%

2.9%

Housing Type Housing Ownership

Rented Part of Housing/ Subleased Housing

Owned by Primary Caregiver/ Household Member

Owned by Others

Rented Entire Housing Unit

5.6%

94%

0.1%0.3%

3

PRIMARY CAREGIVER OF THE CHILD

Who are Child’s Primary Caregivers?

Primary Caregiver’s Relationship to Child

Father

Mother

Legal Guardian

Other Father/ Mother Figure

95%

3.6%1% 0.4%

96.5% of Primary

Caregivers are currently married.

95% of Primary Caregivers for

Singaporean children under 7 are

mothers.

Homemaker/ Housewife

Currently Working

Unemployed

Student (Full-time)

Others

0.4%

97.2%

0.1%

1.7%

0.2%

39%34%

27.4%

72%

0.3%

0.1%

0.6%

Father

Mother

EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF CHILDREN’S BIOLOGICAL/ ADOPTIVE PARENTS

4

Households with Domestic Helpers

1 Domestic Helper

No Domestic Helper

2 or more Domestic Helpers

66%

1%

33%

HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SG LEADS FAMILIES

4 Persons

2 Persons

6 Persons

5 Persons

3 Persons

7 Persons

8 Persons and Above

39.6%

0.4%

10.7%

22%

20.8%

4.6%

Household Size

1.9%

Child’s Living Arrangements

Living with 1 parent

Living with 2 parents

Not Living with parents

96.5%

0.5%3%

No. of Siblings

1 Sibling

No Siblings

3 or more Siblings

2 Siblings

51%

20%8%

21%

5

1 Grandparent

No Grandparents

3-4 Grandparents

2 Grandparents

No. of Grandparents Child is Living with

75.7%

0.1%

10.2%

14%

QUALITY OF COMMUNITY

5.5%

5%

Fair

Poor

0.4%

63%

1%

35.6%Fairly Safe

Extremely Dangerous

Completely Safe

Somewhat Dangerous

How do you rate your neighbourhood for raising children?

Good

Very Good

Excellent

48%

0.5%

41%

How safe is it to walk around alone in your neighbourhood after dark?

5.5%

5%

SPENDING TIME WITH PARENTSHow often do children eat with both parents?

How often do parents read to their children?

Several Times a Month

Never

A Few Times A Week

About Once A Week

Several Times A Year

Everyday

25.5%

35%8.3%

11.7%

2.9% 16.6%

About Once A Month

Never

About Once A Week

A Few Times A Month

A Few Times A Year

Several Times A Week

At Least Once A Day 0.2% 0.4%

4.2 %

1.4% 3%

32.6% 58%

6

21% of 3-6 year olds are enrolled in

Extracurricular Lessons*

* include Dance, Speech and Drama, Music, Arts, Sports,

and others

5.7% of children under 3

are enrolled in Enrichment Classes*

* include Sensory/ Movement, Speech and

Drama, Music and others

Child Care Centre/ Nursery School

Under 3 Years Old

Kindergarten

Infant Care Centre

Not in Any Program

4%

1%

33%

62%

Primary One (Mainstream/ Home Schooling)

Child Care Centre/ Nursery School

Not in Any Program

Kindergarten

41%

5%

14%

40%

3 -6 Years Old

DAYCARE/ SCHOOL AND OTHER ACTIVITIES

25% of 3-6 year olds attend

Tuition Classes for math, reading,

language and other topics

7

HOW CHILDREN SPEND TIME ON A WEEKDAY AND A WEEKEND DAY

Sleeping/ Napping

WEEKDAY

WEEKEND

13h 7m

12h 2m

11h 31m

1m

4m

10m

51m

1h 18m

1h 24m

16m

30m

43m

45m

56m

1h

12h 34m

10h 35m

10h 5m

42m

50m

49m 28m

12m

21m

24m

18m

19m

2h 55m

6h 22m

6h 32m

Non-home-based Day Care/ School

Watching TV Other Electronic Devices

Sports or Other Active Play

WEEKDAY

WEEKEND

WEEKDAY

WEEKEND

WEEKDAY

WEEKEND

WEEKDAY

WEEKEND

5-6 Years Old0-2 Years Old 3-4 Years Old

*includes Active free play, Crawling, Jumping ropes, Running, Swimming, Jogging, Dancing, Organized sports and training, Walking/ Playing with pets

8

HOW CHILDREN SPEND TIME ON A WEEKDAY AND A WEEKEND DAY

WEEKDAY

WEEKEND

WEEKDAY WEEKEND

WEEKDAY

WEEKEND

WEEKDAY

WEEKEND

5-6 Years Old0-2 Years Old 3-4 Years Old

Eating/ Drinking/ Being Fed

Social Activities

Achievement-Oriented ActivitiesUnstructured Non-active Activities

2h 24m

2h 21m

2h 15m

1h 58m

1h 35m

1h 32m

16m

29m

44m

2h 50m

2h 29m

2h 18m

1h 26m

1h 38m

1h 38m

15m

28m

46m

2h 55m

1h 40m

1h 31m

8m

5m

6m

Travel

WEEKDAY

WEEKEND53m

1h 3m

1h 5m

30m

42m

46m

*includes Singing, Reading, Playing musical instruments/ games/ puzzles, Arts and crafts, Studying, Doing homework, or Music, Art, Academic lessons

*includes Free play (playing house, toys), Doing nothing, Other non-active activities

*includes Shopping, Visiting friends or relatives, Religious activities, Attending special events (e.g. live sporting events, concerts, or parties)

*includes travelling by Foot, Bike, Private motor vehicle, Taxi or private hired car, Public transport, Other travel

9

CHILDREN’S COGNITIVE STIMULATION

50-99

10-19

20-49

100 and more

0-9

15.7%

23.7%

20.7%

29.3%

10.6%

How Many Books Does the Child Have?

18.1%

25.1%

17.6%

22.6%

16.6%

How often do parents take 3-6 years olds to the library?

How often do parents take 3-6 years olds to the museum?

15.7%

4.1%

43.9%

34.8%

1.5%

20% of 3-6 year

olds have a Musical

Instrument they can

use

Have One but Child has Access

Don’t have One at Home

Child has His/Her Own

Have One but Child has No Access 77.7%

14.3%

7.9%

0.1%

Access to PC or Laptop (3-6 Years Old)

Once Or Twice A Year

About Once A Month

Several Times A Year

Never

More Than Once A Month

10

5.5%

5%

Fair

Poor

Child’s Health Status

Good

Very Good

Excellent

39.3%

0.2%

53%

3.3%4.2%

4.5% of children

under 7 havePhysical or Mental

Conditions that limit their usual

childhood activities.

CHILDREN’S HEALTH(As Reported by Primary Caregivers)

7-12 months

3 month or less

13-24 months

4-6 months

More than 24 months

16%

21%

22%

12.3%

How long was the child breastfed?

Never Breastfed

Still Breastfeeding

14%

4.4%

10.3%

5.5%

5%

2 or more

1

0

93.5%

1.1%5.4%

No. of Chronic Conditions Children Have(As Diagnosed by Doctor/ Health Professional)

Some Chronic Conditions include:• Allergies• Asthma• Speech impairment or delay• Epileptic fit or convulsion• Autism• Developmental problems, such as learning

disability or developmental delay• Serious hearing difficulty or deafness• Three or more ear infections in a year• Anemia or iron deficiency• Others

11

National Representation:• 3,485 households, 5,021 children aged 0-6 across the nation in 2018/ 2019

• Represent all races and all socioeconomic statuses

Housing & Community:• Live in all family types, with the largest

group (36.9%) living in a 4-room HDB flat• 94% own a home• The majority feel they live in a safe

community (98%) • 46.5% feel their neighbourhood is

excellent or very good for raising a child

Parents’ Education & Employment Status:• 1 in 5 children have parents with a

secondary education or lower, about 30% have parents with post-secondary education, almost half of the parents have a Bachelor or equivalent degree or higher

• 97% fathers and 72% mothers are currently working

Caretakers & Family Composition:• 95% of the primary caregivers are

mothers• 96% of the primary caregivers are married• 1 in 3 of the families have a domestic

helper

Living Arrangement:• 96.5% children live with two parents• 80% children grow up with at least one

sibling• On average, there are 4.6 persons living in

a household, ranging from 2 to 13

Spending Time With Parents:• 58% eat with both parents at least once a

day, and 32.6% several times a week• 35% parents read to child every day, and

26% a few times a week• 43.2% go to a library at least once a

month• 56.1% visit a museum at least once a year

Day Care/ School & Enrichment (3-6 Year Olds):• 95% attending a day care centre,

kindergarten, or primary school• One in five attends extracurricular

activities such as dancing, music, arts, sport, or others

• One in four attends tuition classes such as math, reading, language or others

Infant/ Childcare & Enrichment (Under 3 Years Old):• 4% in infant care centre, and 33% in a child

care centre or nursery school• 6% attending enrichment classes such as

sensory/movement, music, speech or others

How Children Spend Time On A Weekday & A Weekend Day:• Sleeping: 10-13 hours/day depending on

age• Watching TV: 40-50 minutes/weekday

and 50 minutes to 1:24/weekend day• In Day Care/ School: about 3 to 6.5

hours/day depending on age• Unstructured non-active play: 1.5 to 3

hours on a weekday, 2-3 hours on a weekend day

• Sports or other active play: 19-24 minutes/weekday, 45 minutes to 1 hour/weekend day

• On Weekends: more time on sleeping, eating, free play, meeting family and relatives, shopping, and outdoor activities

Child’s Health:• 42% of the children are in excellent or very

good health, 53% are in good health• 6.5% of them have a chronic condition• 88% of the children were breastfed, with

about 5% for 24 months or more

SUMMARY OF SG LEADS FAMILIES

12