Health anxiety plagues Singaporeans and PRs, with the threat of pandemic the biggest concern

In a survey of 500 adults in Singapore (Singaporeans and PRs), Wunderman Thompson Singapore found that while people in Singapore are clearly focused on COVID-19 currently, mental health and depression also rank high among their immediate health concerns. 

At the same time, lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and aging conditions like dementia continue to be background worries, as does the affordability of healthcare. 

Overall, these concerns were more prevalent among youth aged 18 to 34, when compared to those aged 35 and above. 

Mental health and depression concerns higher amongst younger segments

Zooming in on the numbers - when it came to mental health and depression, according to the report, the most number of people with these concerns were aged 18 to 24 (350 respondents), followed by those aged 30 to 34 (280 respondents) and those aged 25 to 29 (225 respondents).

Within the older segments, this was more common among those aged 50 to 54 (210 respondents), as compared to those aged 35 to 39 (195 respondents); 40 to 44 (142 respondents); and finally, those aged 45 to 49 (96 respondents).

Overall health anxiety among top few concerns for both Singaporeans and PRs

According to the report, among different factors - be it economic, safety/security, government & political, technology, health, environment, and social progress, health anxiety on a whole stood out among the top few concerns highlighted, with 288 respondents indicating it.

This was preceded by economic anxiety as the top-most concern (352 respondents), environment (332 respondents), and technology (289 respondents).

On the other hand, it came before safety/security (185 respondents), and government & political as well as social progress anxiety (128 respondents each).

About the survey

The study, involved both quantitative research and one-on-one interviews conducted by the team at Wunderman Thompson Singapore, between 29 June to 6 July 2020, and 6 August to 8 August 2020. 

It involved 500 Singaporeans and PRs aged 18 to 75, who were employed, working part-time, unemployed, students, or retired.

Established psychologists from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and the US are speaking at the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Conference taking place virtually on 10-12 November. Pre-order your tickets at the conference to gain deep insights into prevalent triggers of poor mental well-being and the support available. Group discounts with three pax or more registrations are available at an attractive price! Speak to Priya Veeriah, Regional Production Manager, to register your team of well-being champions today.

Find out more here.

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