SMU poll finds 8 in 10 think if someone talks about suicide, he could do it

More than half of respondents falsely believe that most suicides happen suddenly without warning, a recent survey by the Singa Management pore (SMU) has found.

- Shermaine Ang

University Some 56 per cent of them think this way, slightly higher than the 53 per cent in 2022 when a poll on the same issue was done.

The latest results showed that 31 per cent believe a person dying by suicide was unwilling to seek help, up from 27 per cent in 2022.

Eight in 10 think that when someone talks about suicide, he could take his life, according to the study's findings released on April 18.

This is "the most outstanding prevailing myth about suicide", said SMU principal lecturer of statistics Rosie Ching, who led 140 undergraduates to conduct the survey on attitudes around suicide.

Done in partnership with Samaritans of Singapore (SOS), the survey found that misconceptions about suicide persist from 2022, when an earlier survey was conducted. From January to March 2023, 5,274 people were polled through face-to-face interviews, telephone calls and Zoom.