Study Reveals: Singaporeans need to work on "being active and engaged" the most

| 14 Dec 2020

AIA Group Limited has revealed eight key ingredients that go into living Healthier, Longer, Better Lives, from a research initiative, "Healthier Together". According to the survey, the ingredient that Singaporeans need to work on the most is "being active and engaged" in more holistic ways - not just physically but mentally, socially, and financially as well.

The study was conducted by global data insights company Kantar Group and involved in-depth interviews with more than 80 experts from a broad spectrum of professional disciplines in Singapore and across Asia-Pacific. Study findings were then validated through a survey of 6,000 consumers in the region, including 500 people in Singapore.

Out of the six Asia-Pacific countries surveyed, Singapore recorded the second-lowest proportion of respondents living Healthier, Longer, Better Lives, ahead of Hong Kong.

Only 16% rated themselves as adopting seven or eight of the eight ingredients (below the regional average of 22%), with about 40% saying they were achieving four or more ingredients (below the regional average of 47%). 60% of the Singaporeans surveyed said they were achieving three or fewer of the key ingredients.

Power of optimism is the strongest ingredient

Analysis of all markets identified the power of optimism as the strongest ingredient for a healthier, longer, better life. Singaporeans do recognise this, indicating “having an optimistic outlook” as the most important ingredient in leading a healthier, longer, better life.

Although optimism is the strongest ingredient across the region, a pathway to improved health and wellness and one that is the easiest first step for Singaporeans to take is “being active and engaged”.

This is also the greatest opportunity for Singaporeans, as only 25% achieved this ingredient, despite identifying it as the third-most important ingredient in driving better life outcomes.

Beyond the obvious steps of exercise, healthy eating and sleep

Mr Stuart A. Spencer, AIA Group Chief Marketing Officer, said: “The AIA purpose, which underpins everything we do, is to help people live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives. It’s therefore critical to gain a deep understanding of what people can actually do to achieve this, and how we can help them, beyond the obvious steps of exercising, eating healthily and getting sufficient sleep, particularly in the context of COVID-19.”

Ms Melita Teo, Chief Customer and Digital Officer, AIA Singapore, said: “As a leading insurer and partner to our customers, we have always taken a holistic approach in protecting our customers’ health and wellbeing. But, there’s still more to be done. Through these new insights, we hope to be able to explore more means to reach out to our customers, supporting them to take simple and actionable steps that can make the biggest difference in truly living healthier, longer, better lives for the long haul.” 

A significant body of new insights and data was gathered from interviews with academics, life-coaches, psychologists, mental health experts, influential authors, healthcare representatives and influencers from leading institutions, business and government.

Eight key ingredients

The study produced eight specific behaviours that are most influential in helping people live healthier, longer, better lives. These were:

  1. Have an optimistic outlook 

  2. Be active and engaged 

  3. Self-motivate 

  4. Understand yourself and your emotions 

  5. Feel a sense of independence 

  6. Maintain quality relationships 

  7. Never stop learning or exploring 

  8. Make time to recharge

Key findings for Singapore

The survey asked the 6,000 participants to rate their performance across these criteria, including 500 people in Singapore. Other key findings for Singapore included:

  • An alarming 91% of those surveyed in Singapore rated themselves as not sufficiently adopting all eight ingredients, leaving just 9% who believed they are adopting all eight. The group of “high performers” in living healthier, longer, better lives reported that COVID-19 had less of a negative impact on their health and wellness efforts.

  • “Being active and engaged” in life takes into account physical, mental, social, and financial health facets. In Singapore, however, being physically active is seen as more important than mentally active. Whereas for most other markets, being active and engaged mentally is either more important or on par with being active and engaged physically.

  • Saving money is the number one activity people in the region do for their financial wellbeing. Singaporeans ranked the highest in terms of choosing to 'save money' for better financial health, instead of other aspects like 'investing' or 'reading/learning about finances'.

  • Under the “Never Stop Learning and Exploring” ingredient, the top two actions that helped people in Singapore prioritise continuous learning and exploration are 'read to learn new things' and 'spend time learning new skills’. However, the frequency of people in Singapore actually engaging sufficiently to achieve this is slightly lower than the regional average.

  • By far the most important ingredient across all markets was “having an optimistic outlook”, which was 2.3 times more common amongst the group of people that scored highest on the survey. In Singapore, the top actions to improve optimism were to ‘take time to reflect on the things that bring me joy’ and ‘take time to reflect on things that I am thankful for’.

The complete findings of the AIA Healthier Together study can be viewed at: www.aia.com/healthiertogether.

As part of its continued focus on a comprehensive approach to health and wellness, AIA recently concluded AIA Live, an online event where AIA Global Ambassador David Beckham, award-winning chef Jeremy Pang and celebrities from across Asia Pacific came together to explore how to achieve healthier, longer, better lives together. AIA Live covered multiple aspects of health and wellness including sessions on fitness, meditation, making healthier meals, body positivity, and more.

Stay in the know via our complimentary weekly newsletter

Check these out:

Asia Pacific: Study Reveals Key Ingredients to Living Healthier, Longer, Better Lives

Singapore: LIA inks MOU with FinTech Association

Final Sprint Messages to End the Year Strong II