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Thought leaders consider ASEAN has “strong” social cohesion: Study
A survey has found that the majority of ASEAN thought leaders believed that the region and their respective countries as socially cohesive.
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A worker adjusts an ASEAN flag at a meeting hall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 28, 2021 (Reuters/Lim Huey Teng)
O
n the backdrop of a yearslong pandemic, which has seen heightened social anxiety and tensions, a survey has found that the majority of ASEAN thought leaders believed that the region and their respective countries are socially cohesive.
A regional study by the Singapore-based S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) found that 69 percent of those surveyed in Southeast Asia saw a “strong” social cohesion, with 13 percent seeing it as “weak”.
The inaugural research study was conducted via 20-minute online questionnaires to a total of 1,000 respondents – 100 from each 10 ASEAN member countries – from Feb. 10 to April 6 earlier this year.
Respondents surveyed were people who were considered to have expertise in academics, the public sector, businesses, civil society and religious organizations.
The researchers said the study’s framework was built around the idea that a country’s social cohesion can be understood, among others, in terms of attitudes and behaviors of its citizens, characterized by resilience of relationships between them and whether there is a focus on the common good of everyone.
“Of the three domains, [respondents say] social relations had the strongest influence on social cohesion in Southeast Asia. Focus on the common good had the least impact in the region,” said Paul Hedges, associate professor of interreligious studies at the RSIS.
The research report was launched Tuesday as part of the International Conference on Cohesive Societies organized by the RSIS and supported by the Singaporean Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
