Singapore is a country with a very large population, but with similar views on many items throughout their culture and society. In order to understand the culture of the country better, a few aspects need to be discussed further. The first, and most important aspect, is their attitudes and beliefs. The next would be their religion and material culture. The last ones to review would be their language, organization of society, and their level of economic development. By investigating these aspects of Singapore further, one can understand the culture of the country better. The most important aspect of a culture can arguably be their attitudes and beliefs. These can be found by using Hofstede’s dimensions of culture. The first dimension would be power distance. Power distance means how a country accepts that power in institutions is distributed unequally among individuals. Singapore ranked 13th out of 53 countries studies, whereas the USA ranked 38th. Part of the reason Singapore rates power distance so high is because of Confucian teaching. This type of teaching reinforces that people are unequal in rank, and interactions among them strengthens this inequality. To question authority is almost unthinkable in this society. The next dimension to review would be collectivism-individualism. This is the extent that a society operates as individuals or with their families, or a network where people work as in-groups or out-groups. In Hofstede’s survey, Singapore ranked very low on the individualism scale; 39th out of 41 countries. Family is viewed as the core of society and is the most important unit (Qiang, p. 6). The third dimension is assertiveness-modesty. In Singapore, modesty is ranked very high, which in turn, limits their assertiveness. The normal citizen will never brag, and those who do, are looked down upon heavily. The attitudes and beliefs of the people of Singapore can help one understand the country better. The next important aspect of a society is their religion. Singapore has a diverse religious makeup, with about 10 religions that are actively celebrated. Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism/Taoism being the most principal ones. Buddhism is celebrated by over 60% of the population, therefore it could be argued as the most popular religion practiced in the country. The second most popular religion, coming in at 16%. Although the country has a large number of religions being actively practiced, it is safe to say that Buddhism and Islam are the most prevalent. Material culture can be of great importance to some countries. To Singapore, though, it is very little. There is little opportunity to promote local crafts because very little is produced locally. There are four main languages of Singapore. They are Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, and English. English is the most common language spoken, and also is taught in all the schools. Children are also taught their native language, relative to their ancestry. Singapore also has slang, which is called Singlish. It is a mix of English with their local language. The Singlish spoken in one part of the country can be indiscernible in another part of the country. Singapore is a democratic nation, and is ranked the 2nd freest nation out of 42 in the Asia-Pacific region. The country has a very low tolerance for corruption, which can attribute towards their high freedom level. Singapore has a high level of economic development. It has been ranked as being the best country in the world to do business in. It has also been ranked third in a global competitiveness report. Also, in 2010, Singapore was the third fastest growing economy in the world, and had a growth GDP of 14.471%. Lastly, Singapore has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world.
Works Cited

About Singapore. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://www.singaporeexpats.com/about-singapore/culture-and-language.htm

Guruswamy, R. (n.d.). Religions in Singapore. Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://worksingapore.com/articles/live_7.php

Harrison, D., & Hitchcock, M. (2005). The Politics of World Heritage: Negotiating Tourism and Conservation. Channel View Publications.

Singapore. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://www.heritage.org/index/country/singapore

Singapore Economy. (2010, March 18). Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/singapore/?page=full

Qiang, L. (n.d.). Section II: Core Cultural Values and Beliefs of Singapore. Retrieved November 5, 2014.