Young S'poreans content with being just good, not the best

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A SURVEY has shown that most younger Singaporeans aged 19 to 23 are satisfied with just being good and not the best, and that many believe they do not need to learn - even though most believe that learning is the key to success.

In the survey, the National University of Singapore quizzed 270 young people to find out how driven they are. It found that while 56.3 per cent always want to win, only 3 per cent are extremely competitive when it comes to winning.

The 3 per cent rated their desire to win at nine or 10 on a 10-point scale - on which one meant 'strongly disagree' and 10 meant 'strongly agree'.

But 6 per cent of those surveyed appear not to care about winning at all, having given a one or two-point rating to the statement, 'I always want to win'.

Most survey respondents are also willing to settle for just being good, and they would not go the extra mile to be the best. About half of respondents said they would settle for being good and not seek to be the cream of the crop, with just 6 per cent expressing a strong desire to be the best.

Another surprising result is that 54.1 per cent of those surveyed disagreed that they need to learn - even though though 53 per cent believed learning is the key to success.

And none of the respondents agreed strongly that they need to learn more.

While the results appear worrying, NUS business school associate professor Ang Swee Hoon, who did the study with a student, said there is a silver lining.

'That we also have a segment of youths who are not so competitive may appear disconcerting initially. However, if everyone strives to win all the time, then there will be disenchantment in some quarters,' she explained.

'Moreover, organisations have leaders and followers. Having a group of determined leaders followed by others more moderately driven and those less so makes for smoother running of most organisations.' Prof Ang said the apparent the lack of passion to learn - as compared with a keener desire to win - could mean young people here are 'satiated already given our education system'.

'A break in studies, like when they start working, may re-energise in them a yearning to learn,' she said.

This article was first published in The Business Times.
 
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