Tag: YouGov

Singapore – TikTok is reinforcing its commitment to fostering a safer space for mental health conversations with new educational and inspiring content added to its ‘Digital Wellness Hub’. This was shaped in consultation with experts and mental health advocates as well as with results from a joint survey with market research firm YouGov. 

The survey, which was geared towards further understanding local and cross-generational attitudes towards mental well-being, underscored the need for greater mental wellness support ecosystems amongst adults above 18. In particular, it uncovered people’s comfort levels in talking about their own mental health. 

The research specifically found that 59% of respondents in Singapore expressed fear that their loved ones would not be able to help if they talked to them about the topic, whilst 64% stated they are afraid that being open about their mental well-being will negatively affect their future prospects at work.

Taking into account people’s current dilemma when it comes to their mental health, TikTok has introduced new content to its in-app ‘Digital Wellness Hub’ – a one-stop portal that anchors all of its educational initiatives around well-being and cyber wellness – to further bolster its mental health offerings to the local community.

Teresa Tan, TikTok’s director of public policy for Singapore and SEA, said, “While significant strides have been made to build and reinforce mental health support systems in Singapore, more needs to be done to help our local community feel less afraid of judgment and more empowered to actively seek help. These safeguards span across all areas, from people in the community, policies, and platforms like ours.”

The newly improved Hub also includes a new ‘Creator Spotlight’ series, featuring local mental health advocates like Adeline Tay, Samantha Ng, Jeannette Qhek, and Nava Neetha, amongst others, to inspire audiences in the community with their personal journeys. Local users will also be encouraged to continue sharing their own stories with the hashtag #mentalhealthawareness.

These initiatives are set to further expand the wellness community on the platform, including non-profit organisation (NPO) partners, such as CARE Singapore, Fei Yue Community Services, Samaritans of Singapore, and TOUCH Community Services, as well as the participants and alumnus across TikTok-driven programmes like ELEVATE and Youth for Good. 

The newly-added initiatives will complement existing safeguards in TikTok, including in-app well-being guides that have been developed in consultation with experts, to provide a holistic support ecosystem for all. 

“At TikTok, we firmly believe in the power that an inclusive community wields in breaking down stigmas and driving important conversations around mental health. With the continued support of our non-profit partners, we endeavour to keep growing our peer support ecosystem on the platform, providing our wellness creators with safe spaces and resources to express themselves authentically, seek help, and support others,” Tan added.

Singapore – Online travel agency Booking.com was revealed as the best-perceived travel brand amongst responsible travellers in Singapore with 21.3 scores, according to market research company YouGov.

The report also found that the fellow travel booking platforms Agoda with 18.7 scores, Expedia with 17.6 scores, and Klook with 17.6 scores were closely behind the top spot.

Meanwhile, hospitality companies Shangri-La and Marriott ranked fifth and sixth, with consideration scores of 17.0 and 15.3 respectively. This was followed by online travel agency Trip.com with 14.2 scores, accommodation booking platform Hotels.com with 14.0 scores, and Airbnb with 13.5 scores. And lastly, the Luxury hotel Grand Hyatt rounded off the top ten with a consideration score of 12.8.

“The YouGov Travel Brand Rankings 2022 is aimed at understanding how travel brands differentiate in the eyes of responsible travellers – defined as those who self-identify as being wellness-focused, culturally minded, and caring about environmental impact. The rankings spotlight the brands that score higher in terms of consideration amongst this audience group, based on YouGov BrandIndex Consideration scores from July 2021 to June 2022,” said YouGov.

Singapore – ‘Revenge’, by all means, is a belligerent word that doesn’t necessarily carry a positive connotation. But when the world saw the pandemic easing down through this year, the term is being used loosely, together with a spark of hope and rejuvenation. That is–we’re referring to the ‘revenge’ of travel.

After years of being shackled by social distancing, we are now coming back with a deeper bite by the travel bug together with a beefed-up buying power. We’re wondering then, how are individuals from different countries faring when it comes to wanderlust? A new YouGov study recently finds this out amongst Singaporeans–in particular–the Gen Z cohort in the country.

In a macro view, the April 2022 study reveals that 45% of Singaporean Gen Zs are planning to travel in the next 12 months. The younger generation though is becoming more conscious of their spending habits, where 43% of this demographic in Singapore cite ‘overall value for money’ as the top factor for their choice of destination.

Infographic from YouGov

In addition, amongst the Singaporean Gen Zs that stated they’re eyeing to travel, international holiday has slightly been more preferred (22%) than a domestic holiday (18%).

The current report by YouGov also probed into the cohort’s consumer journey when it comes to making this holiday trips a reality. 37% of Singaporean Gen Zs opt for travel website aggregators such as Booking.com and Traveloka when securing their itineraries, while 40% would go for online accommodation websites such as Airbnb. Meanwhile, a more muted 25% say they’d choose booking directly on the official hotel website.

Infographic from YouGov

When it comes to discovering ‘products’ and ‘experiences’ to jump into, Gen Z travellers from Singapore get their information the most from online random searches (46%), followed by information from friends and family (43%), while info from travel blogs (37%) come at the latter of their choices.

Most importantly, the report found the exact destination Singaporean Gen Zs would love to go to at this point – and that is none other than Japan. Specifically, how do youngsters from the Lion City plan to spend their holidays away? YouGov says it’s through combined relaxing and sightseeing and/or activity holidays (41%), going on a shopping holiday(35%), and visiting friends and family (29%).

Singapore – Superapp Grab in Singapore was under fire in recent weeks following its decision to shorten the grace waiting period. In the new decision, users will be automatically charged a waiting fee of S$3 per five-minute waiting block if they keep the driver waiting for longer than three minutes. Meanwhile, a S$4 fee applies if a passenger cancels a booking more than three minutes after accepting one.

This decision has angered some consumers, leading to Singapore’s Transport Minister S. Iswaran questioned in Parliament on the Government’s supervision over ride-hailing platforms.

This was evident with the latest data from the latest YouGov BrandIndex that shows that Grab’s Buzz, Consideration and Customer Satisfaction scores among Singapore residents who say they are very to somewhat likely to use transport providers all significantly declined shortly after its new grace waiting period came into force.

In terms of media metrics, net Buzz scores, which measure whether consumers have heard more positive or negative things about a brand in the past two weeks, fell from 17.9 on 18 July to -2.6 by 1 August, indicating that more consumers heard negative than positive things about the brand.

Meanwhile, Grab’s Consideration scores, which track the percentage of Singapore residents who would consider using the platform in the next month, lost nearly 20 points from 47.1 on 18 July to 27.3 by 1 August, while the brand’s net Customer Satisfaction scores, which measure whether Grab’s current customers are generally satisfied or unsatisfied with the brand, dropped 14 points from 27.4 on 18 July to 13.0 by 1 August.

Lastly, data from YouGov BrandIndex shows that Grab’s Buzz, Consideration, Customer Satisfaction scores all started on an upward trajectory in the days after the parliamentary statement. Notably, net Buzz scores returned to positive territory of 1.4 by 4 August. However, the platform’s net Corporate Reputation scores, which improved from 2-3 August, declined again from 3-4 August.

Hong Kong – HKTVmall has registered the biggest boost in Word of Mouth (WOM) Exposure in Hong Kong for the month of June 2022, according to YouGov’s flagship index for brands, YouGov BrandIndex. 

In other words, the OTT provider cum retail business is the most talked-about brand in the market for the month that caps off H2.

According to the report, the number of people talking about the retail group saw an uplift of six percentage points during the four-week period. HKTV mall’s score rose from a low of 28.5 on 1 June to a high of 34.5 by 19 June.

WOM exposure is a BrandIndex metric that measures the percentage of people who have spoken with their family or friends about a particular brand in the previous two weeks. 

Additionally, flag carrier Cathay Pacific recorded a 5.7-point increase in WOM Exposure from 16.9 on 1 June to 22.6 by 25 June, while electronic payments brand Octopus Card saw its WOM Exposure climb 5.5 percentage points from 33.9 on 13 June to 39.4 by 25 June.

In early June, HKTVmall opened its fourth and largest supermarket in Ma On Shan, Sha Tin district.

Singapore – Despite the rising number of digital-only banking offerings, around 73% of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region still trust traditional banking systems, compared to the 44% of consumers saying they trust digital-only banking systems, according to the latest data from YouGov.

While 82% of Indonesians trust traditional banks, only around 38% trust digital-only banks. Similarly, 78% of Singaporeans trust traditional banks, and 37% trust digital-only banks. 

Meanwhile, confidence in digital-only banks is highest among consumers in Australia and India – where trust is at most 21% points lower than that for traditional banks. Around 62% of Australians trust digital-only banks versus 75% for traditional banks, while 51% of Indians trust digital-only banks versus under 72% for traditional banks.

Lastly, in China and Hong Kong, trust in digital-only banks lags that of traditional banks by 30% and 37% points respectively.

In terms of Gen Z consumer behaviour, trust in digital-only banks lags traditional banks the most among Gen Z consumers in Singapore by 29 points and Hong Kong by 26 points – above the APAC average of a 19-point trust gap – less so in Indonesia by 13 points and Australia by 8 points.  

Meanwhile, around 39% of Gen Z consumers in Hong Kong trust digital-only banks, significantly lower than that of the APAC average of 48%. Additionally, Gen Z consumers’ trust of traditional banks is also significantly lower in Australia, around 53%, but significantly higher in Singapore at around 79% when compared to the APAC average of 67%.

Among millennials, 72% trust traditional banks while around 47% have confidence in digital-only banks. Trust in digital-only banks lags traditional banks the most among Millennial consumers in Hong Kong and Singapore, both by 33 points– above the APAC average of a 25-point trust gap – less so in Indonesia by 22 points and Australia by 15 points. 

Notably, millennial consumers’ trust of digital-only banks in Hong Kong of 37% and Singapore of 40% is significantly lower than that of the APAC average of 47%. Additionally, Millennial consumers’ trust of traditional banks in Australia of 61% is also significantly lower than that of the APAC average of 72%.

Jakarta, Indonesia – The large majority of consumers are willing to pay a higher price for eco-labelled products, even if they are 50% higher than their old brand choices, according to data from market research company YouGov.

With the exception of gaming-related products, Indonesian consumers are willing to accept more than 80% higher prices for eco-labelled food items such as milk, rice, coffee, and tea, compared to other product categories. In contrast, at least one-fifth of consumers who would pay more for eco-labelled fashion and personal care products such as cosmetics and skincare, as well as clothing items, bath soap, oral care, footwear are only willing to accept higher prices of 10% or less.

When asked about food related items, around one-third of consumers are open to switching the brand of rice (34% of respondents), coffee/tea (33% of respondents) and milk (33% of respondents) they currently purchase in order to buy an eco-labelled one. While slightly more are willing to pay more for eco-labelled rice (35% of respondents), slightly less would be for coffee/tea (30% of respondents) and milk (30% of respondents).

Meanwhile, when asked about household appliances and furniture products, more than one-quarter are open to switching their current brand of home furniture (29%) in order to buy an eco-labelled one, while just under a quarter (24%) are willing to pay more.

Lastly, one-quarter of consumers (25%) are open to switching the brands of smartphones they currently purchase to buy an eco-labelled one, while slightly more (27%) are willing to pay a higher price for greener smartphones. But less than one in seven consumers would consider switching brands and paying more for eco-labelled cars (14%) and gaming consoles (5% to 6%).

Vietnam – As the pandemic forced people to work from home, about 73% of Vietnamese workers rate a better work-life balance – such as flexible working, switching-off after hours, and compensation for overtime – as the most important factor when deciding whether or not to accept a new job offer, according to the new insights from modern HR platform Grove HR and public opinion and data firm YouGov.

The report shows that apart from work-life balance, a competitive benefits package, including salaries and bonuses, has ranked second with 73%, while ‘job security’ came third-most important criteria with 69% in 2022.

Grove HR has also found that 49% of people intend to change jobs in 2022, which is a fall of just 2% from the height of the pandemic in 2021. However, companies wishing to attract these workers will need to offer a good financial package, with most people looking for between 10% and 30% more than their current salaries, and only around 11% would consider switching jobs for a rise of less than 10%. On the other hand, about 36% would leave their job if their salaries were cut by 10%, highlighting the challenges of staff retention in the ‘new normal’.

Meanwhile, the ideal workplace has been transformed during the pandemic, as Vietnamese workers now want a flexible work environment, with 40% of people hoping to combine office and remote work in 2022, which compares to 21% who want to return to the office full time and just 16% who want to continue working at home. In addition, Vietnamese workers also care more about their health at work, following the global pandemic. However, most people feel safe returning to work once they, their families, and their colleagues have been vaccinated.

Bao Nguyen, Grove HR’s general manager, shared that attracting new workers now is no longer just about offering attractive salaries, as the staff want more from their jobs, and therefore, managers need to adapt their HR strategies to match the new realities of recruitment post-pandemic.

“Even though the lockdowns are over, trends such as remote and flexible working look set to continue. So companies that want to retain their best and brightest need to invest in the tools and technologies to facilitate a better work-life balance for their staff,” said Nguyen.

Meanwhile, Thue Quist Thomasen, YouGov’s CEO for Vietnam, said, “Our data shows that workers now want to maintain a good work-life balance. Therefore, companies need to offer attractive benefits and incentives while also creating and communicating a positive corporate culture and facilitating a flexible workplace where staff have the option to split their time between home and the office.”

Hanoi, Vietnam – Despite digital advertising seeing a boom in the Vietnamese market, perception among Vietnamese consumers says otherwise, stating that they are getting tired of digital advertisements, the latest survey from data and analytics company YouGov shows.

According to the survey, around 43% of Vietnamese consumers find online ads annoying. On the contrary, around 25% of the respondents agreed that online advertising is interesting while 30% say that online advertising is creative. Despite the positive feedback, around 47% of consumers said that they always skip or want to skip online ads.

The survey noted that too much online advertising can drown out quality content for businesses. As such, online ads need to be exceptionally creative to stand out from the crowd and capture the attention of consumers.

Thue Quist Thomasen, CEO at YouGov Vietnam, said that their survey also showed that even though most people remember seeing online ads, they are significantly less likely to recall clicking on ads or buying products after seeing ads.

“In my view, the online marketing industry in Vietnam is largely, and fairly, preoccupied with tracking ad frauds and viewability. But marketers often pay insufficient attention to the metrics that truly matter, such as impact and quality, which are the key elements that drive advertising success. Why make sure people can view an ad, if the ads are boring and annoying,” Thomasen said.

Singapore – A new report conducted by market research company YouGov and public relations professional body Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) reveals the current mental health state among the region’s public relation practitioners, including that 48% of respondents say they are going through a particularly stressful period in their life right now, with more than a third saying the pandemic has worsened their mental health.

According to the report, the main triggers of mental ill health faced by respondents are high workload (cited by 34% of respondents); long hours (33%); lack of reward or recognition for good work (29%); and not enough career growth (29%).

Furthermore, the report notes that due to these mental health issues, many respondents have said that they never or rarely exercise (32%), eat a healthy diet (24%) or get enough quality sleep (23%).

There has been a focus on mental health among women PR practitioners, with 39% of them having experienced a loss of interest in activities or social interactions in the last 12 months (versus 27% of men); and 37% have experienced significant changes in sleep schedule or appetite (versus 28% of men).

“The PR profession has been, as ever, resourceful and resilient in the face of the huge professional and personal challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But that resourcefulness and resilience has its limits,” said Tara Munis, head of PRCA Asia Pacific.

In terms of mental health support from their employers, the report has found that 32% of the region’s employers have not communicated with staff around mental health during the last year – a number rising to 49% in Singapore and 48% in Hong Kong but dropping to 8% in Vietnam and 20% in Thailand.

In addition, 48% of employers do not provide mental health resources to staff. Again, this figure varies significantly, and is more than 50% in Singapore (69%), Hong Kong, Malaysia (both 59%) and Indonesia (52%).

Francis Ingham, director general at PRCA, commented, “Across the world, PR and communications leaders are increasingly recognizing the importance of positive mental health in their organisations, their clients, their teams, and themselves.”

Despite the mental health issue prevalent across the region’s PR practitioners, 39% of respondents say that the COVID-19 pandemic has improved their mental health than say it has worsened it (35%). In addition, 88% of respondents say they would be comfortable talking to a co-worker about their mental health problem.

Outgoing PRCA SEA Chair Lee Nugent said that as employers, they can and must make changes in regards to mental health support, noting that providing information, support and resources is just one part. He also added that they need also to ensure that they are creating a workplace culture where it’s fine for someone who needs help to say so, and then provide access to mental healthcare in the way that many of us already provide access to physical healthcare.

“The research suggests that around 29% of organizations currently offer their people access to initiatives such as EAP programs that provide professional, expert help to those who need it. I’d like to see this figure climb rapidly in the coming months. Just as importantly, it’s our responsibility to also address those critical issues that, perhaps, sit at the heart of the problem. We owe it to our people to put actions in place to deal with endemic over-working, for example, and to address poor people management both where it exists inside our own organizations and in the client/agency dynamic,” Nugent added.