analysis Today
GIF image testing ‘I never thought much about it': Why some Singaporeans grow up without close friends of other ethnicities
Despite Singapore’s rich multicultural landscape, many Singaporeans still find themselves forming close friendships primarily within their own racial groups. As personal habits, social environments, and structural factors shape these divides, experts and individuals reflect on the challenges – and importance – of building deeper cross-racial connections.
“I tend to have very few close friends, hated talking to strangers when young and gravitated only towards people with similar interests and wavelengths.
"And since I'm naturally introverted, I rarely interacted with anyone besides my mother outside of school," he added, recalling his childhood years.
Ms Emily Yue, a 25-year-old youth pastoral staff member, has a similar social life experience – all her close friends are from the Chinese community, the largest ethnic group in Singapore.
For her secondary education, she studied in a Special Assistance Plan (SAP) school, which promoted the learning of Chinese language and culture and where the student body was practically homogenous.
“Almost everyone was Chinese, and the only non-Chinese students were usually half-Chinese.”
Ms Yue only realised her limited exposure to other cultures when she attended junior college and university, where she met a diverse group of students, including international ones.
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It was only in 2022, when she was 22, that she got to visit the house of a Malay friend for Hari Raya for the first time, which allowed her to appreciate the culture.
“Before this, I never thought too much about (race), as I’ve always just seen people as individuals rather than focusing on their race or religion,” said Ms Yue.
Mr Lee and Ms Yue’s experiences are not unique. A substantial portion of Singaporeans – particularly of Chinese descent, though not limited to them – apparently go through life without forming deep friendships with people of different ethnic backgrounds from their own.
A 2024 survey by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and non-profit organisation OnePeople.sg found that 46.8 per cent of 4,000 Singapore residents polled reported not having at least one close friend from another race. The figure represents a slight increase from 44.5 per cent in 2018.
