Youth Perception Survey 2013

Youth Perception Survey 2013

The Youth Perception Survey was commissioned by NCADA in 2013 and had involved 2,075 youths aged between 13 and 21.


NCADA had shared the findings with the media at a press conference on 13 Feb 2014. The panellists for the press conference were: Mr Victor Lye, Chairman NCADA, A/P Narayanan Ganapathy, Vice-Chairperson of Research Sub-Committee and Ms Allison Lim, Chairperson of Communications Committee. We have also shared the findings with our partners in the anti-drug ecosystem so as to keep them abreast of the youths’ perception towards drug abuse, anti-drug laws in Singapore and the current preventive drug education efforts.


The key findings from the Survey were:

  • Parents and teachers continue to be strong influencers in dissuading young people from experimenting with drugs;
  • Youths view drugs and drug abuse negatively but older youths are more likely to accept liberal attitudes towards drugs; and
  • Current anti-drug laws are effective.

Harnessing the influence of parents and teachers


The Survey found that television remains an important source of information about drugs, with 63.1% of youths surveyed listing the television as a source of information about drugs. However, parents and teachers continue to be effective in dissuading youths from drug abuse. About one in two youths surveyed indicated that they would approach their family, in particular parents, if they had any questions about drugs. Two in five youths surveyed also look to their teachers and counsellors for information.


There are some television programmes that normalise drug abuse. As youths, especially those who are younger, are still highly impressionable, parents and guardians should monitor their media consumption and guide them to evaluate the information which they have obtained from the mass media.

Underscoring the influence parents have, the Survey found that 96.5% of youths whose parents had spoken to them about drugs and drug abuse reported that those conversations have deterred them from taking drugs.


A/P Narayanan Ganapathy, Chairperson of NCADA's Research Sub-Committee said: “There are some television programmes that normalise drug abuse. As youths, especially those who are younger, are still highly impressionable, parents and guardians should monitor their media consumption and guide them to evaluate the information which they have obtained from the mass media.”


He added that as parents and teachers appear to be the first source of information, it was crucial for them to keep informed in matters relating to drug abuse so as to effectively advise youths on drug related matters.


Only 40.6% of all Survey respondents said that they have had conversations with their parents on drugs. A/P Ganapathy urged more parents to initiate conversations with their children about drug abuse and its dangers.



Nurturing anti-drug values is key


When the youths were asked what would happen if they were offered drugs, 97.3% were confident that they would decline. Most respondents expressed strong objections to drug abuse in their responses to the following statements:

Statement Percentage of respondents who agreed
I believe taking drugs will harm one’s health 89.1%
I believe taking drugs will affect my education 87.6%
I would try taking drugs if it was not illegal 8.1%

Similarly, when asked what they associated “drugs” with, 68.4% of them chose “An illegal/harmful/dangerous substance” (43.3%) or “A substance that can be addictive” (25.1%). 87.3% of the youths also said they felt that Singapore’s laws against drugs are effective in controlling the local drug situation.

Although this group is small, we will not ignore them and will factor their attitudes into the development of our PDE programmes and initiatives

However, the Survey found that a small percentage of youths (about 4.4%) display liberal attitudes towards drugs and were more likely to agree with the statement “It’s alright to try drugs for a new experience”. This group consisted of older youths aged 17 to 21.


A/P Ganapathy said: "Although this group is small, we will not ignore them and will factor their attitudes into the development of our PDE programmes and initiatives.”


“Overall, the Survey results are reassuring. Singaporean youths view drugs negatively and believe that our drug laws are effective. NCADA and our partners in the anti-drug ecosystem will continue to nurture these anti-drug values in them”, he added.



Importance of maintaining a zero-tolerance policy on drug abuse


Mr Victor Lye, Chairman, NCADA said: "Findings from the Survey will be used to guide how we develop preventive drug education programmes and ensure that they remain relevant. For example, the finding that older youths tend to hold more liberal attitudes towards drugs and that younger youths are more susceptible to peer pressure, suggest that we need to adapt our current preventive education strategies to address these groups more effectively. NCADA will engage our anti-drug ecosystem partners in developing a more targeted approach in our ongoing fight against drug abuse.”


He also said that NCADA will continue to conduct such surveys to track attitudes and perceptions towards drugs and drug abuse.

Youth Perception Survey 2013 Panellists at the Youth Perception Survey 2013 Press Conference on 13 Feb 2013. From left to right: A/P Narayanan Ganapathy, Mr Victor Lye and Ms Allison Lim
In Singapore, we are fortunate to have contained drug abuse despite external challenges. Singapore must maintain a “zero-tolerance” stance against drug abuse.

“More countries are giving in to liberal positions on drugs due to shifting societal attitudes in containing disease transmission and the uphill fight against drug abuse. In Singapore, we are fortunate to have contained drug abuse despite external challenges. Singapore must maintain a “zero-tolerance” stance against drug abuse. While the number of drug abusers arrested in Singapore remains low, we cannot take this situation for granted. The responsibility of protecting our future generations from the scourge of drugs requires the concerted effort of parents, educators and community leaders,” he added.


For a detailed report on the survey findings, please refer to the survey materials which are available on the CNB PDE Portal.



The next round of the YPS is currently in progress as at 2015.