Our launch of the 2023 MIS report on 14 September was closely watched by the media. To date, there have been more than 20 reports (that we know of) by print, digital, television and radio outlets; in the mainstream and alternative media; both local and regional; in English, Chinese and Malay. See the listing here.
Many of the media reports focused on the 4% to 5% increase in the monthly budgets of indicative household types since our 2021 research report. Journalists flagged that around 30% of households have work incomes that fall below basic needs, and spotlighted our recommendations to seriously consider a living wage; reform income security policies for older people; and improve policy practices, such as by indexing social support to changes in living costs. Several reports drew attention to the definition of basic needs that research participants agreed on, which includes “a sense of belonging, respect, security, and independence”. Three government ministries issued a joint statement responding to our findings, method and recommendations.
Information on the MIS method can be found in our research reports, the FAQ section, and this commentary we published in 2021. We also discuss methodological issues and the implications of our research in these podcast interviews with socialservice.sg and The Straits Times (Part 1; Part 2).