Indians in Singapore place strong importance on their nationality, race, and languages when it comes to defining who they are, according to a new Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) report on religion and identity.
The study, titled “Religious Identity and Practice among Singaporeans”, forms part of the IPS Survey on Race, Religion, and Language 2024 and draws on responses from a nationally representative sample of 4,000 Singapore residents.
It highlights the multiple dimensions – from nationality to language to religion – that shape Singaporeans’ self-perception, with clear differences across racial groups.
For Indian respondents, Singapore’s nationality emerged as the most significant part of their identity. More than half (50.1 per cent) of Indians said that being Singaporean was “very important” to their overall sense of self.
This proportion is markedly higher than that of the Chinese (37.8 per cent) and respondents who identified as Others (38.2 per cent).
When asked to pick the single most important aspect of identity, 30.3 per cent of Indians chose nationality, making it their top response.
Race followed at 19.9 per cent, reflecting how both belonging to Singapore and their ethnic heritage play central roles in shaping identity among Indian residents.
Researchers noted that, while nationality was also the most popular identity marker among Chinese respondents, the attachment was far stronger among minorities, including Indians and Malays.
This suggests that for minorities, nationality carries additional weight in affirming inclusion within the broader Singaporean fabric.
The IPS survey found stark racial contrasts in how race itself is valued as part of identity. Only 19.1 per cent of Chinese respondents said race was very important to their identity.
By comparison, 30.4 per cent of Indians and 37.6 per cent of Malays said the same, underlining how minorities tend to hold race as a more integral part of their identity.
For Indian respondents, this indicates a dual sense of belonging – proud of their ethnic roots while also deeply invested in their Singaporean nationality.
Language, too, plays a defining role, as 36.3 per cent of Indians considered their official mother tongue to be very important to their overall identity.
This was the highest proportion across racial groups, followed by Malays at 34.9 per cent. In contrast, only 18.7 per cent of Chinese respondents viewed their mother tongue as central to their sense of self.
The trend was even stronger for the languages Indians use most often in daily life, as 40.9 per cent of Indians said their most frequently used language was very important to their identity. It was a higher share than Malays (37.9 per cent) and double that of the Chinese (22.2 per cent).
IPS researchers suggested this reflects how language serves as both a marker of heritage and a lived experience of culture for minorities. For Indians, whose community is highly diverse linguistically, the use of mother tongue or familiar languages remains a strong expression of belonging.
While the Aug 20 report focused on religion, its findings on race and nationality confirm earlier IPS studies showing that minorities often hold multiple aspects of identity together – their ethnicity, language, and national belonging.
Across the population, religion itself has grown in importance. About 80 per cent of Singaporeans say they identify with a religion, with increasing numbers turning to personal practices like meditation and online religious media.
For Indians, whose community encompasses Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and various other faiths, this adds another layer to their identity, but the IPS findings emphasise that nationality and language remain particularly strong anchors.
The report, authored by Dr Mathew Mathews, Dr Teo Kay Key, Mr Izzul Haziq Murad, and Dr Melvin Tay, observed that these identity attachments among minorities highlight Singapore’s multicultural ethos.
“Minority respondents were more likely to consider their race, official mother tongue, most frequently used language, and Singapore to be very important to their overall sense of identity,” the authors noted.
They added that such findings reinforce the need to maintain inclusive national policies that respect cultural diversity while strengthening a shared sense of nationhood.
