Date: Thursday, 3 September 2009
Venue:  IPS Meeting Room
Time: 3 pm to 5 pm

The family is an important locus of support for the elderly in Singapore. This is further substantiated by results from previous National Survey of Senior Citizens in 1995 and 2005. In both instances, a majority of the elderly cite their children as their main source of support. The
government’s policy stance also promotes this arrangement.
The importance of the family as the primary source of support for the elderly suggests that policy makers and analysts need to have accurate information on this institution to ensure better policy formulation and implementation. Research has shown that the family comprises numerous intergenerational relationships. It is these relationships that are called upon to support not only the elderly, but the young in the family. In order to better evaluate the strength of these relationships, a composite index has been constructed for this purpose.

IPS has constructed a Intergenerational Solidarity Index based on work done by Vern Bengtson and colleagues on intergenerational solidarity. The theoretical model that Bengtson posits is not without its weaknesses. Nonetheless, it does provide a basis for the creation of a composite index to determine the health of the relationship within the family.

The objectives of the closed-door discussion are two-fold. Firstly, we would like to solicit comments and feedback from the academic community with regard to the constructed index; in particular, the usefulness and reliability of such a measure to determine the health of familial relationships. Secondly, what are ways that it can be improved to serve its purpose?

If you have any queries, please contact Ms Ong Siling at tel: 6516 8377 or via email: