KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 – The high cost of living is the top challenge Malaysian families face today, according to an online survey conducted by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN).
The online survey, which was conducted from November 7 to 30 last year in conjunction with National Family Month, involved 5,430 respondents.
According to the survey, 97 per cent of respondents cited the high cost of living as the primary challenge Malaysian families faced today, followed by the rising costs of raising children (71.6 per cent).
However, only 7.6 per cent of respondents believe that married couples have the right to choose not to have children.
Other challenges include less time for family activities (41.6 per cent), having multiple jobs to improve family economy (38.9 per cent), and gadget addiction (33.2 per cent).
On average, respondents said they spent 7.5 hours on weekdays with their families, and spent more time with their family on weekends (13.4 hours).
Family activities include eating daily together (61.3 per cent), spending time daily together (51.6 per cent) and exercising weekly together (32.1 per cent).
However, 41.8 per cent of respondents feel that their time with family is insufficient and this is largely due to busy work schedules (62.2 per cent).
Other barriers to sufficient time with family include time constraints (16.5 per cent), and long distance relationships (8.7 per cent).
When it comes to family values, 71 per cent agreed that moral character plays an important role in family relationships and 70.5 per cent agreed that mutual affection is an important family value.
Meanwhile, 67.9 per cent of respondents agreed that caring for physical and mental health is a shared responsibility and 66.3 per cent agreed that education and knowledge are key to family harmony.
Government support expected by families include affordable housing (77.1 per cent) and reduced tax rates (60.5 per cent) for individuals and families.
A significant number of survey respondents also expected targeted cash assistance schemes (59.4 per cent), targeted subsidy schemes (56.8 per cent), and health care assistance (56.1 per cent) for themselves and their children.
