Singapore residents pick well-being as key to good life

Mental health, work-life balance are prioritised over material goods, study shows

- Chin Soo Fang

The definition of quality of life is shifting in Singapore, with more people prioritising well-being, mental health and work-life balance over material goods to cope better in a complex and fast-paced city, according to a new study released on July 24.

In choosing a home, for instance, accessibility to healthcare services (63 per cent) came out ahead of remaining lease (20 per cent) and proximity to schools (14 per cent) as a priority, though affordability (92 per cent), location (90 per cent) and proximity to public transport infrastructure (68 per cent) remain non-negotiables.

On which communal facilities were the most important, food and retail spaces came out on top (87 per cent), followed by parks and green spaces (78 per cent). These were ahead of sheltered walkways (66 per cent), sports facilities (57 per cent), and community centres (45 per cent).

Within residential developments, respondents also ranked green spaces and rooftop gardens as the most important communal facilities, ahead of fitness facilities like swimming pools and social spaces such as barbecue pits and function rooms.

The inaugural Quality of Life report, by property consultancy Knight Frank Singapore and global market research firm Ipsos, surveyed 1,000 Singapore residents earlier in 2025 to find out how expectations of the city-state's built environment are evolving.

The hope is that the study, carried out to celebrate Knight Frank Singapore's 85th anniversary, will be valuable to policymakers and developers in meeting the changing aspirations of the population, said the company's head of consultancy Alice Tan.