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SINGAPORE \u2013 The proportion of resident households in Singapore that spent money on gambling and smoking has dropped more than 40 per cent over the years. But the households that did spend in these areas increased their expenditure.<\/p>\n
In 2013, about one in five resident households in Singapore spent money on gambling. By 2023, this dropped to about one in 10.<\/p>\n
Smoking habits saw a similar decline, as the proportion of households with such spending decreased from about 17 per cent to 9 per cent in the same decade.<\/p>\n
Presenting these trends in its newsletter on April 29, the Singapore Department of Statistics (SingStat) said they likely reflected the impact of public awareness campaigns, stringent tobacco control measures and evolving social attitudes.<\/p>\n
SingStat analysts crunched data from the 2012\/2013, 2017\/2018 and 2023 Household Expenditure Survey, which is conducted once every five years. Between 11,050 and 13,100 households participated each time and gave data on their spending over a two-week period.<\/p>\n
Gambling was defined as joining Singapore Pools lotteries, sports betting, horse racing betting and casinos, as well as mahjong and card games, and smoking as using cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products.<\/p>\n
The fall in such expenditures was found across all residence types and income groups.<\/p>\n
Both gambling and smoking were more prevalent among households living in Housing Board flats \u2013 about 11 per cent of them engaged in such activities in 2023.<\/p>\n
In particular, gambling was most common among HDB four-room flat dwellers, while smoking was most prevalent among one- and two-room HDB flat households.<\/p>\n
In comparison, 7.2 per cent of those living in condominiums and 9.5 per cent of households in landed properties spent on gambling in 2023. <\/p>\n