SINGAPORE: This year, Singapore’s General Election (GE2025) stood out from previous editions in a few meaningful ways: We saw independent candidates obtaining higher vote shares than some political parties with more history and arguably more resources, an influx of podcasts introducing candidates from different parties, and active social media engagement by the political parties, candidates and content creators.
With Gen Zers (aged 13 to 28 years old, with those aged 21 and above eligible to vote) and millennials (aged 29 to 44) playing a much bigger role in GE2025, both in terms of reaching the legal voting age or running as candidates, it’s safe to say that we have entered a new norm in political engagement methods.
Two main things stand out when it comes to these generational groups: greater political participation, especially in the realm of electoral politics; and shifting voting patterns.
This GE, we saw more younger individuals putting themselves up for election – 38 of 90 first-time candidates were under the age of 40 – not just as members of political parties, but also as independent candidates.
From left to right: People's Action Party candidate Cassandra Lee, 33; Workers' Party candidate Andre Low, also 33; and Singapore Democratic Party candidate Ariffin Sha, 28. (Photos: CNA/Tan Wen Lin, Ili Mansor, Raj Nadarajan)
Many of these newcomers, particularly those from the better-resourced political parties, had also already been engaging in political, community or grassroots work prior to their debut as candidates.
The People Action Party’s (PAP) youngest Member of Parliament (MP) – 33-year-old Cassandra Lee of West Coast-Jurong West GRC – came onto the scene with 16 years of grassroots volunteering already under her belt, having started since at the age of 17. Andre Low from the Workers’ Party (WP), also 33, had previously served under Sengkang MP Louis Chua as a secretarial assistant before being fielded as a candidate this GE. Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Ariffin Sha, 28, had founded an alternative news outlet writing about social and political issues at 16 years old.
There were just two independent candidates running in GE2025 – Darryl Lo in Radin Mas SMC and Jeremy Tan in Mountbatten SMC. Both of them bucked the usual stereotypes of political independents – rather than the older, angrier variety of “political alternative” voters may be more accustomed to seeing, they are young (28 and 34 years old respectively) and presented their ideas in clear, coherent ways that stood out to some voters.
Mr Jeremy Tan (left), 34, ran in Mountbatten SMC and Mr Darryl Lo, 28, ran in Radin Mas SMC as independent candidates. (Photos: CNA/Nuria Ling, Liew Zhi Xin)
All these put together reflect a trend of Singaporeans becoming politically aware and engaged from a much younger age, and putting these thoughts to action.
Going into GE2025, the increased proportion of younger voters, may have caused some apprehension. Back in 2020, the Institute of Policy Studies’ post-election survey found that among voters aged 21 to 29, over half belonged to the “swing” category – meaning they had an eclectic mix of views regarding checks and balances as well as parliamentary representation – while another 30 per cent were in favour of more pluralism in government.
But why are younger voters so much more unpredictable than their older counterparts?
Gen Zers and millennials are generally considered “digital natives” and have greater exposure to information via the internet, both from traditional media platforms and other sources. Being exposed to a wider range of issues, viewpoints, experiences and ideas has shaped their view of the world they live in, what change they want to see and how they can get involved.
Even rally crowds seemed to feature a lot more young faces, something I observed when attending rallies this time round compared to 2015.
This is good news for a country’s democratic potential and strength. Citizens becoming more politically aware at a younger age means they will have more time to develop their beliefs about the kind of systems they would like to have in place to govern not just their lives, but that of their families, communities and countrymen.
It also speaks to the national education system’s capability for growing young minds to think critically and take action on issues that matter to them.
In April, a YouGov survey found that 61 cent of millennials and 70 per cent of Gen Zers were still undecided on which party they would vote for – a much higher proportion compared to Gen Xers and baby boomers. While these findings may have given the impression of indecisiveness in this demographic, GE2025 results point towards more thoughtful voter deliberation over individual choices.
The fact that so many were unable or unwilling to commit their vote to one party or another early on shows that voters – younger ones especially – were much more open to looking at what each candidate or party had to offer before making their decision.
When it comes to election results, there also seems to be some impact with the addition of these Gen Z and millennial voters.
While the overall PAP vote share of 65.57 per cent looks like a reaction towards the uncertain geopolitical situation and a strong mandate for Mr Lawrence Wong’s first outing as both prime minister and PAP secretary-general, the individual results from various constituencies also provide further nuance.
If we zoom in to hotly contested battlegrounds with an estimated larger proportion of young voters aged 45 and below, we can observe different voting patterns based on the contesting opposition parties.
Sengkang GRC was retained by WP – with an even higher vote share than in 2020.
The WP kept the PAP’s winning margin to under 5 percentage points in Jalan Kayu SMC and Tampines GRC, and just above 10 per cent of votes in Punggol GRC. Sembawang West, contested by SDP’s Dr Chee Soon Juan, recorded a winning margin of under 10 percentage points for the PAP.
Compare this to other areas with large proportions of young voters such as Nee Soon GRC and Potong Pasir SMC, which the PAP won with significant margins of 47.62 per cent and 46.71 per cent of votes respectively against Red Dot United and Singapore Progress Party.
It’s clear that parties like the WP with a strong branding, clear policy proposals, and candidates who come with more impressive resumes appeal much more to voters compared to those that are less well-known or well-resourced, or that prioritise critiquing the PAP’s policies over spelling out their own proposals.
Again, this seems to indicate a more discerning electorate.
The nature of voting decision-making has evolved – no longer is it a choice between the ruling party and the opposition as a homogenous bloc. Rather, it’s now a more nuanced contest between different political parties, each with their own voice, brand and offerings.
While GE2025 shows PAP retaining its spot as the frontrunner based on the overall trends and the WP holding fast as a strong runner-up in the constituencies it contested, the surprisingly strong showing of young players including WP’s Mr Low and independents Mr Tan and Mr Lo shows that young Singaporeans are intent on making their mark on the landscape of Singapore politics.
With more Gen Zers and younger adults entering the field in subsequent elections – whether as voters or candidates – we might see this trend gaining even more traction in the next five years.
Teo Kay Key is Research Fellow at IPS Social Lab at the Institute of Policy Studies.
Continue reading...
With Gen Zers (aged 13 to 28 years old, with those aged 21 and above eligible to vote) and millennials (aged 29 to 44) playing a much bigger role in GE2025, both in terms of reaching the legal voting age or running as candidates, it’s safe to say that we have entered a new norm in political engagement methods.
Two main things stand out when it comes to these generational groups: greater political participation, especially in the realm of electoral politics; and shifting voting patterns.
GREATER POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
This GE, we saw more younger individuals putting themselves up for election – 38 of 90 first-time candidates were under the age of 40 – not just as members of political parties, but also as independent candidates.
From left to right: People's Action Party candidate Cassandra Lee, 33; Workers' Party candidate Andre Low, also 33; and Singapore Democratic Party candidate Ariffin Sha, 28. (Photos: CNA/Tan Wen Lin, Ili Mansor, Raj Nadarajan)
Many of these newcomers, particularly those from the better-resourced political parties, had also already been engaging in political, community or grassroots work prior to their debut as candidates.
The People Action Party’s (PAP) youngest Member of Parliament (MP) – 33-year-old Cassandra Lee of West Coast-Jurong West GRC – came onto the scene with 16 years of grassroots volunteering already under her belt, having started since at the age of 17. Andre Low from the Workers’ Party (WP), also 33, had previously served under Sengkang MP Louis Chua as a secretarial assistant before being fielded as a candidate this GE. Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Ariffin Sha, 28, had founded an alternative news outlet writing about social and political issues at 16 years old.
There were just two independent candidates running in GE2025 – Darryl Lo in Radin Mas SMC and Jeremy Tan in Mountbatten SMC. Both of them bucked the usual stereotypes of political independents – rather than the older, angrier variety of “political alternative” voters may be more accustomed to seeing, they are young (28 and 34 years old respectively) and presented their ideas in clear, coherent ways that stood out to some voters.
Mr Jeremy Tan (left), 34, ran in Mountbatten SMC and Mr Darryl Lo, 28, ran in Radin Mas SMC as independent candidates. (Photos: CNA/Nuria Ling, Liew Zhi Xin)
All these put together reflect a trend of Singaporeans becoming politically aware and engaged from a much younger age, and putting these thoughts to action.
YOUNGER VOTERS WEIGHING THEIR OPTIONS
Going into GE2025, the increased proportion of younger voters, may have caused some apprehension. Back in 2020, the Institute of Policy Studies’ post-election survey found that among voters aged 21 to 29, over half belonged to the “swing” category – meaning they had an eclectic mix of views regarding checks and balances as well as parliamentary representation – while another 30 per cent were in favour of more pluralism in government.
But why are younger voters so much more unpredictable than their older counterparts?
Gen Zers and millennials are generally considered “digital natives” and have greater exposure to information via the internet, both from traditional media platforms and other sources. Being exposed to a wider range of issues, viewpoints, experiences and ideas has shaped their view of the world they live in, what change they want to see and how they can get involved.
Even rally crowds seemed to feature a lot more young faces, something I observed when attending rallies this time round compared to 2015.
This is good news for a country’s democratic potential and strength. Citizens becoming more politically aware at a younger age means they will have more time to develop their beliefs about the kind of systems they would like to have in place to govern not just their lives, but that of their families, communities and countrymen.
It also speaks to the national education system’s capability for growing young minds to think critically and take action on issues that matter to them.
Related:
In April, a YouGov survey found that 61 cent of millennials and 70 per cent of Gen Zers were still undecided on which party they would vote for – a much higher proportion compared to Gen Xers and baby boomers. While these findings may have given the impression of indecisiveness in this demographic, GE2025 results point towards more thoughtful voter deliberation over individual choices.
The fact that so many were unable or unwilling to commit their vote to one party or another early on shows that voters – younger ones especially – were much more open to looking at what each candidate or party had to offer before making their decision.
THOUGHTFUL DELIBERATION VS PARTY LOYALTY
When it comes to election results, there also seems to be some impact with the addition of these Gen Z and millennial voters.
While the overall PAP vote share of 65.57 per cent looks like a reaction towards the uncertain geopolitical situation and a strong mandate for Mr Lawrence Wong’s first outing as both prime minister and PAP secretary-general, the individual results from various constituencies also provide further nuance.
If we zoom in to hotly contested battlegrounds with an estimated larger proportion of young voters aged 45 and below, we can observe different voting patterns based on the contesting opposition parties.
Sengkang GRC was retained by WP – with an even higher vote share than in 2020.
The WP kept the PAP’s winning margin to under 5 percentage points in Jalan Kayu SMC and Tampines GRC, and just above 10 per cent of votes in Punggol GRC. Sembawang West, contested by SDP’s Dr Chee Soon Juan, recorded a winning margin of under 10 percentage points for the PAP.
Compare this to other areas with large proportions of young voters such as Nee Soon GRC and Potong Pasir SMC, which the PAP won with significant margins of 47.62 per cent and 46.71 per cent of votes respectively against Red Dot United and Singapore Progress Party.
Related:
It’s clear that parties like the WP with a strong branding, clear policy proposals, and candidates who come with more impressive resumes appeal much more to voters compared to those that are less well-known or well-resourced, or that prioritise critiquing the PAP’s policies over spelling out their own proposals.
Again, this seems to indicate a more discerning electorate.
The nature of voting decision-making has evolved – no longer is it a choice between the ruling party and the opposition as a homogenous bloc. Rather, it’s now a more nuanced contest between different political parties, each with their own voice, brand and offerings.
While GE2025 shows PAP retaining its spot as the frontrunner based on the overall trends and the WP holding fast as a strong runner-up in the constituencies it contested, the surprisingly strong showing of young players including WP’s Mr Low and independents Mr Tan and Mr Lo shows that young Singaporeans are intent on making their mark on the landscape of Singapore politics.
With more Gen Zers and younger adults entering the field in subsequent elections – whether as voters or candidates – we might see this trend gaining even more traction in the next five years.
Teo Kay Key is Research Fellow at IPS Social Lab at the Institute of Policy Studies.
Continue reading...