ABSTRACT
In Singapore, voting is compulsory and Singaporeans are generally most satisfied about their right to vote. How about the rights to participate in any kind of organization, to gather and demonstrate, to be informed about the work and functions of government, to freedom of speech and to criticize the government? We provide details on Singaporeans’ satisfaction with these democratic rights, which has declined over the years. We evaluate sources of individual differences due to age, marital status, education and household income to identify segments of disgruntled Singaporeans. In addition to democratic rights, we discuss Singaporeans’ views about politics with regard to the efficacy of voting, the empowerment of the voters and the empathy and integrity of government officials. We then show how satisfaction with democratic rights and views about politics influenced Singaporeans’ wellbeing.
