On 9 May 2022, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) said in a written reply to two parliamentary questions that they will “be more careful” and will “better engage Singaporeans on contentious topics in the future.” The MCI was referring to a survey from their feedback unit REACH (reaching everyone for active citizenry @ home) which sought comments and opinions in relation to the LGBTQ+ community in Singapore. The survey was taken down less than a day after it had gone live.
The two parliamentary questions asked by Alex Yam Ziming, PAP MP for Marsiling–Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency (GRC) and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, PAP MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC were as follows:
REACH
MCI shared that REACH surveys “typically gather about 200 to 700 responses”, however with this LGBTQ+ survey they “received more than 36,000 responses within a day or so.”
The MCI provided some background on the work of REACH:
REACH gathers feedback via multiple channels and from different segments of the community, so that all voices can be heard. Views collected by REACH are shared with relevant government agencies.
The channels employed by REACH include email, social media platforms, WhatsApp chatgroups and dialogues. One modality used by REACH is Listening Points (or LPs) – typically conducted in person or since the start of the pandemic, via online surveys. They solicit views from specific groups with questions designed accordingly. The findings from targeted LPs are therefore not taken as representative of the entire population. For more holistic understanding, they are complemented by other sources of feedback.
The LGBTQ+ survey was one such “Listening Point” or LP that sought to “solicit views from the LGBTQ+ community.”
Similar LPs have been conducted to hear views from communities such as rental flat dwellers, pre-release offenders, and gig economy workers. We have also previously partnered other communities including religious organisations, women and youth groups, to seek feedback on particular issues from their respective constituents.
Consistent with the approach taken for such targeted LPs, the LGBTQ+ LP was conducted online and the link was disseminated through LGBTQ+ groups. However, unlike in previous online LPs, the link was circulated beyond the intended audience, which led to a large number of responses within a short timeframe.
The Intended Audience of the Survey?
According to MCI, the survey “link was disseminated through LGBTQ+ groups” but quickly “circulated beyond the intended audience” and was therefore taken down.
However, the survey itself stated that it was “open to everyone regardless of your sexual orientation and/or gender identity.” For that matter, MCI’s response also acknowledged that “the LP platform is open to all.”
The questions in the survey also suggested that it was open to people beyond the LGBTQ+ community:
https://twitter.com/kixes/status/1506219188326567939?s=20&t=vBSIwy2Km7t_qSGBBNL1Gw
In any case, the MCI concluded their written reply by saying:
REACH has received feedback about this LP, and acknowledges that it should be more careful when conducting LPs on issues where people hold sharply opposed and passionate views. REACH will learn from this experience to better engage Singaporeans on contentious topics in the future.
https://twitter.com/teo_kai_xiang/status/1506491466490826753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1506491466490826753%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwakeup.sg%2F377a-survey-removed%2F
A few questions remain from this incident. How has REACH learned from this experience and how exactly will they “better engage Singaporeans” on issues like LGBTQ+ rights? Moreover, it is unknown how the 36,000 responses from this survey will be used by the government. Until an MP submits follow up Parliamentary questions on these uncertainties, we are unlikely to know.
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