Our 'Lunatic Fringe' is not the Problem.

RE: Most Singaporeans still rely on traditional media
RE: 3 in 10 S'poreans cynical about politicians

IPS did a survey of about 1,100 Singaporeans (21 yrs old and above) in early 2011, and found that:

(A) 12.6% said they go online for their political-news. Less than 1% relied solely on online alternative media for political news

(B) 30% said they do not trust politicans to act in their best interests, and this 'cynicism' is linked to exposure to online media.

The researcher concluded that policy-makers should go on the internet and hold interpersonal discussions to "reach and convert" these cynics.

Let's visualise the findings.

Assuming all 12.6% who go online for political news, also do not trust politicians. You find them clustered together as the blue C1.

(Click on the diagram to expand it.)

I guess C1 is also the same group which Minister Chan Chun Sing called 'the Lunatic Fringe'.
And as highlighted by PM Lee, government agencies are going all out to tackle C1 in cyberspace.

However, I think our politicians have a bigger problem than the so-called lunatic C1.

What's really interesting is the group highlighted in green C2.

In reality, not all who go online for political news will distrust politicians. Hence, if the C1 box shifts left a little, C2 may well make up 20% of Singaporeans above 21, i.e. can be 2 times of lunatic C1.

More significantly, people in C2 are cynical of politicians, but do NOT get their political news from the lunatic cyberspace.

If so, where the fuck are people in C2 getting their cynicism from??
From mainstream media?? OMG?! Is this even humanly possible?
Is it genetic?? Are they delusional?
How to convert them? Can they be 'saved'??
Will they spread their disease around and taint the white masses (who also do not read up on political stuff online)?

Using more developed countries' cynicism levels as benchmarks, it is clear that the Cynics group will only grow in terms of numbers and proportion to the total voters' population.

Then, what's intriguing is the split between C1 and C2.
I bet there are differences between the demographic profiles of C1 and C2.


Coincidentally, the findings of this IPS survey can be crudely mapped with the recent PE2011 voting results.