Are Singaporeans losing faith in organised religion?

IPS research fellow Melvin Tay discusses the changing nature of religion in Singapore.

More Singapore residents report having no religious affiliation, rising from one in five in 2020 to one in four in 2025, according to the Department of Statistics’ latest General Household Survey 2025.

But a separate report by US-based think tank Pew Research found that almost nine in 10 Singapore adults surveyed still believe in God or unseen beings, higher than other South-east Asian countries such as Cambodia and Thailand.

Is this growth in non-affiliation a cause for concern for Singapore, one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world? And what does religion do for us today?

In this episode, host Zachary Lim speaks with Dr Melvin Tay, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, to examine the changing religious landscape in Singapore. They also discuss whether religious institutions are losing relevance, and the implications of alternative spiritual practices gaining traction among young people.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:40 Changes in perception of religion over time

5:59 Shift away from institutionalised religion

10:41 Changing modality of engaging with faith

16:05 Singapore’s fast pace of life on religious affiliation

18:37 Young residents on needing tangible benefits from religious experiences

20:32 The global push towards secularisation

26:28 Is Singapore’s religious diversity in jeopardy?

29:46 Emergence of alternative divination and spiritual avenues in Singapore

37:42 Morality, healing, and community beyond institutionalised religions

47:00 Is increasing non-affiliation to religion a cause for concern?

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH