This suggestion was fortunately dismissed by most of the people interviewed by the Straits Times. Most people are already aware of the loneliness they may experience when they become elderly; using this sto scare them will only increasing the perception of a ‘culture of fear’.
Singaporeans already have too many reasons to be scared of having children. Most of them are about money – what they have to pay for each child’s care and education, as well as the opportunity cost for time spent raising the child. Other people fear they are not competent to nurture a child, while some women are simply put off by the pain of childbirth.
Scare tactics of not having children are unlikely to work, seeing there is so much inparenthood to be scared of. Perhaps focusing on the joy and positive emotions is better. Drama shows on television already do this, but campaigns must reach out to people who use other forms of media too.
