{"id":8373,"date":"2023-04-06T12:20:10","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T04:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pinyin.info\/news\/?p=8373"},"modified":"2023-04-06T10:20:24","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T02:20:24","slug":"majority-supports-adding-english-requirement-for-applicants-for-singapore-citizenship-poll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pinyin.info\/news\/2023\/majority-supports-adding-english-requirement-for-applicants-for-singapore-citizenship-poll\/","title":{"rendered":"Majority supports adding English requirement for applicants for Singapore citizenship: poll"},"content":{"rendered":"

The opposition leader of Singapore, Pritam Singh, said in late February that he supported adding an English test to the requirements for applications for citizenship or permanent residency in Singapore<\/a>. A recent poll of five hundred Singapore-born citizens found strong popular support for that position. <\/p>\n

Proportionately, most of those opposing an English-language requirement were of Chinese descent. But even among that group, supporters of the requirement outnumbered those opposed by roughly 3:1. <\/p>\n

\"Graph<\/a><\/p>\n

Only 7 percent of all respondents, however, said applicants should be able to speak, read, or write fluently<\/em> in English. <\/p>\n

Based on data from the Singapore Census 2020, 72.3 per cent of Singapore residents born outside Singapore are literate in English.<\/p>\n

Focusing on the top three countries of origin (India, Malaysia and China), the English literacy level among those from China was the lowest at 61.8 per cent, Asst Prof [Shannon] Ang [of Nanyang Technological University] said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause a large proportion (62.3 per cent) of the overall resident population is Chinese-literate, Chinese immigrants may feel little need to learn another language. But this means that members from the minority races may not be able to communicate with them,\u201d he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Further reading: <\/p>\n