SINGAPORE – Singaporeans of all faiths are broadly tolerant and more accepting of followers of different religions, compared with other countries in the region, according to a recent survey.

Close to nine in 10 Singaporeans said Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Chinese traditional religions and local beliefs are compatible with the Republic’s culture and values. The respondents included those who identify with the various faiths, as well as the religiously unaffiliated.

Followers of all faiths in Singapore were also found to be widely pluralistic in their beliefs, with only three in 10 who said their religion is the only true religion – about half the average proportion in the other countries surveyed by the Pew Research Centre.

“Singapore’s religious diversity is remarkable on the global scale, and especially in comparison with its neighbours in South and South-east Asia,” Pew research assistant William Miner said last Friday.

The survey of religious pluralism in South and South-east Asia found that Singaporeans reported high levels of inter-religious tolerance and acceptance across multiple measures, Mr Miner said in his analysis of the survey results.

More than 13,000 adults from six countries – Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand – were surveyed between June and September 2022. About 2,000 Singaporeans were polled.

Mr Miner, whose research focuses on religion, noted that in the survey results released in September 2023, Singapore stood out from the other countries surveyed on acceptance of those of other faiths. Other countries had more variance in their responses.

For example, 89 per cent of Singaporeans saw Christianity as compatible with the country’s culture and values, compared with between 44 per cent and 73 per cent of respondents in the other five countries.

Meanwhile, 87 per cent of Singaporeans viewed Hinduism in this way, compared with between 29 per cent and 68 per cent in the other countries surveyed.

The same survey found Singaporeans to be the most likely in the region to feel connected to many other religions than their own.

Among all respondents, regardless of whether they had a religious affiliation, six in 10 here reported having a personal connection to at least one religion other than their own. Twenty-six per cent said they felt a personal connection to three or more other religions, compared with between 5 per cent and 17 per cent among those in the other countries.

More than two-thirds of Singaporeans who identified with a religion said they felt many religions can be true.

The poll also found that many Singaporeans revere figures from religions beyond their own, said Mr Miner.

For instance, one-quarter of Singaporean Buddhists polled said they pray to or offer respects to Jesus Christ, while 31 per cent said they did so to Ganesh, the Hindu god of beginnings.

Hindus in Singapore were the most likely to pray to or offer respects to other religious figures: 53 per cent of respondents in this group said they do so to Allah, 66 per cent to Jesus Christ and 75 per cent to Buddha.

Respondents across all countries largely expressed positive or neutral sentiments towards diversity of religion, ethnic groups and cultures within their countries.

In Singapore, 56 per cent said that having such diversity made the country a better place to live, while 4 per cent said it made the country a worse place to live. The rest said it did not make much of a difference.

The survey report also said that highly religious Singaporeans seem to be especially supportive of this national diversity.

About 65 per cent of Singaporeans who said religion is very important in their lives said having people of many religions, ethnic groups and cultures makes their country a better place to live, compared with 52 per cent of those who were less religious.

Singaporeans were the most likely in the region to reject the mixing of politics and religion. Only 26 per cent of Buddhists, 41 per cent of Muslims, 26 per cent of Christians and 37 per cent of Hindus here supported their religious leaders talking publicly about the parties or politicians they support.

The study by the Pew Research Centre was funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation. It is part of the centre’s efforts to understand religious change and its impact on societies around the world.

In a 2014 report, Pew had ranked Singapore as the most religiously diverse country in the world.