Milieu Insight survey with Inter-University Network seeks to drive change for mental health support in Singapore universities

Findings from a Milieu Insight was recently published in Inter-University Network's (IUN) public report, which sought to understand the current mental health landscape amongst university undergraduates in Singapore. The findings were published in the "Culture of Care: Empowering Connections" report, covering three distinct and key pillars concerning the mental health landscape, namely Culture, Academics and Resources (CARe) and shared at the Inter-University Network UCare Forum.

The survey found that an overwhelming number of youths within universities today, regardless of school and year, are highly stressed. 9 in 10 respondents ranked ‘Work and Study Commitments’ as their top source of stress. These include situations where students attend arduous hours of classes within their curriculums (i.e. lecture, tutorials and labs), juggle school submissions with work commitments, and ensure they pass university.

Stigma and taboo remain as major barriers for youths with mental health concerns, with 28% saying that they did not seek help for fear of judgment by those among them. 46% also cited being too busy for not seeking help through student-led resources.

The findings will be shared to guide the policy direction and derive recommendations for the five participating autonomous universities and the nation as a whole.

The Inter-University Network’s UCare team and student union leaders from the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL) visited Milieu Insight's Singapore office, where CEO Gerald Ang and COO Stephen Tracy shared about their experiences in the market research industry, and their thoughts on the approaches behind data analytics.

This survey was administered online and conducted with a total of 470 undergraduate students across five universities - National University of Singapore (NUS, inclusive of Yale-NUS College), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). Fieldwork was conducted from April to May 2022.