Blackbox Research
Blackbox Research was one of the few companies, if not the only one, which predicted that the GE 2015 would culminate in a landslide win for the incumbents. On hindsight, it is easy to say that such a result would have been inevitable following the death of Lee Kuan Yew. However, during the campaign period, it seemed almost unthinkable, even to PAP supporters, that the Opposition would not build upon its gains from the 2011 watershed elections. To this correspondent’s mind, that cemented Blackbox’s reputation as an reliable survey and research outfit.
For this reason, it is usually worth paying attention to Blackbox’s findings on issues of the day.
Heightened Interest on LGBTQ+ Issues amidst overtures of repeal
In light of recent statements that do not foreclose the possibility that s 377A of the Penal Code may be repealed, and legislative amendments to other statues which mean that substantive equality and positive rights for members LGBTQ+ community remain some way off (a topic that shall be discussed in a separate article), the concerns of the LGBTQ+ community are one issue that has been weighing on the minds of people recently.
Just last month, it was disclosed in Parliament that a REACH Survey on LGBTQ+ issues attracted more than 36,000 responses in a day after it “circulated beyond the intended audience”. Against this backdrop, it may be salient to examine Blackbox’s findings on LGBTQ+ issues.
Just before we do so, it is worth stressing that LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. That is to say, these are rights which ought to be innate, not rights that should be “granted” only when the majority of people feel that they are “ready” to grant these inalienable rights. Rights should never premised on the whims and fancies of the majority. To that end, the value of asking non-marginalised people for their opinions on whether marginalised people are discriminated against is obsolete.
On Gay Leaders
In a Facebook post published on 6 June 2022, Blackbox shared some data from various studies it had conducted over the years on LGBT issues. The research outfit observed that “consistent with other recently published studies on gay attitudes in Singapore, those under 25 are roughly twice as tolerant as those over 50”.
Reiterating its findings from a study in 2020 on whether Singapore is ready for a gay Prime Minister, it noted that 34% of Singaporean think that Singapore is likely to have an openly gay Prime Minister by 2050.
45% of Singaporeans are comfortable with a gay Prime Minister or President. Singaporeans appear to be even more comfortable with a homosexual Member of Parliament (49%). It is unclear, at least from the post itself, if the terms “gay” and “homosexual” are used interchangeably.
Outside of the political arena, 56% of Singaporeans say that they are comfortable with their direct supervisor/boss being gay.
On Discrimination
In June 2020, having polled 887 Singaporeans, Blackbox found that four in five Singaporeans strongly or somewhat agree that people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community face discrimination in Singapore.
On 377A
Earlier this year, Singapore’s apex Court held that, as things stand, Section 377A is unenforceable in its entirety. 
In 2018, a Blackbox Study which was commissioned by Yahoo News Singapore, polled 1000 Singaporeans on, amongst other things, their views on Section 377A. It found that more a majority of Singaporeans agreed with the proposition that religious views and opinions should not influence Singapore’s laws.
Only a minority of people peopled (36%) agreed that the repeal of 377A would lead to “the breakdown of the family unit in Singapore”.
It would be interesting to see how much these views have shifted in the 4 years that have elapsed since. If the Government’s recent statements are anything to go by, it appears that repeal is on the horizon. The question then is – What’s next?
You can read more on Blackbox Research’s studies on LGBTQ+ persons at the following links
- https://blackbox.com.sg/everyone/section-377a-law-vs-love
- https://blackbox.com.sg/everyone/80-of-singaporeans-say-lgbtq-community-still-faces-discrimination-survey
- https://blackbox.com.sg/everyone/is-singapore-ready-for-a-gay-pm
- https://blackbox.com.sg/everyone/discrimination-in-singapore-how-harmonious-are-we
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