FAQs on the SLP Surveys 
FAQs on the Baseline Survey
1) What is the purpose of this study?
The primary goal of this academic research study is to better understand the well-being of older adults in Singapore with the eventual aim of generating policy recommendations that enable successful ageing. This is done by defining and measuring a holistic construct of well-being, as well as identifying the factors that impact Singaporeans’ well-being as they progress through the later phases of life.
Your responses as a unique individual will help us understand more about how people in your demographic group fare in terms of well-being over time. Your valuable inputs will contribute to the findings of the study, which can translate to policy innovations. These findings will also be communicated to close collaborators who can effect relevant changes to improve the lives of older adults in Singapore.
2) Who sponsors/funds this study?
This study is funded by an MOE Tier 3 Social Sciences Research Grant and the generous support of The Ngee Ann Kongsi.
3) Will my name be used or appear anywhere?
We will not use names to report any findings from this study. We will not link your responses with your name.
4) Will my information be secure?
Please be assured that any information you provide is treated in the strictest confidence under the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA). Your personal data and survey responses will be kept in secure servers dedicated exclusively to this purpose. The de-identified data will be used only for research purposes, available only in aggregated form and only to researchers approved by SMU. The results collected are used for research purposes only and are only ever reported as a statistic. You will never receive any junk mail as a result of your participation in the panel and we will never pass on your details to other organisations for commercial purposes.
If there are any questions you are not comfortable with answering, you may skip them.
5) Will information be collected from my Internet connection?
We will not collect any information until you actually start the survey. Even then, we will only collect minimal information about your internet connections, such as what kind of a browser you use and the configuration of your screen. We need this information to ensure that you are able to see the different screens from the survey. We will not collect any information about your personal Internet activity (cookies), or any other information that would compromise your identity or confidentiality.
6) What kinds of questions are you going to ask?
Our surveys are structured around the four domains of Economic, Physical, Social and Mental Well-being. There will be some variations in the types of questions fielded on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. For example, in the monthly surveys, questions pertaining to Life Satisfaction, Social Engagement, Employment, Health, Income and Spending will be posed. Additional questions will be added on a quarterly or bi-annual basis, on topics including Wealth, Assets, Social Networks, Psychological Indicators, Disability and Caregiving.
7) Is it compulsory for me to participate?
Participation is voluntary and your refusal to participate will not involve any penalty. Likewise, you may discontinue participation at any time without penalty or loss of accrued benefits.
Your participation is crucial to ensure that the survey results are accurate, complete and that they represent the experiences of people like you.
8) Do I have to do every survey?
We fully understand that your lifestyle and schedule may not allow for participation in every survey and are more than happy for you to participate only when you can.
9) How do I complete the survey?
Go to http://slp.smu.edu.sg, enter your ID and password then click the Login button. Upon login, you will find the blue survey button ('Month Year >> Start Survey' e.g. January 2024 >> Start Survey) under the New or In-Progress tab. Click the Start Survey button to launch the survey.
10) It is too tiring for me to complete the survey at one go. Can I do a few questions at a time?
Yes, of course! You can choose to exit the survey at any point and the responses you had entered thus far will be automatically saved. When you are ready to continue, simply log in to the SLP portal again. You will find the blue survey button ('Month Year >> Start Survey' e.g. January 2024 >> Start Survey) under the New or In-Progress tab. Click the Start Survey button to launch the survey.
You will then be taken back to the last question you were at before you exited during your previous session.
11) How do I change my password?
Upon login, click the profile icon at the top right hand corner and select “My Account” from the dropdown menu. You will find a "Change Password" tab under My Account. Click the tab to update your password.
12) I forgot my password, how do I obtain a new password?
If you have registered an email address or mobile number with us, you may click on the link under "Forgot your password? Reset here" on https://slp.smu.edu.sg. You will be prompted to enter your ID. After entering your ID, a temporary password will be sent to you via the mode you selected, ie. either via email or SMS.
If you have not provided us with an email address or mobile number, please call us at 6808 7910 (10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays) or contact us on WhatsApp: 8037 9516 or email: slp@smu.edu.sg and we will be happy to reset your password for you.
13) How do I change my survey answers?
If you have not submitted the survey, please click on the Back button to change your answers. If you have already submitted the survey, please call us at 6808 7910 (10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays), or contact us on WhatsApp: 8037 9616 or email: slp@smu.edu.sg.
14) I completed the survey. Why did I receive an additional reminder?
Due to the large volume of SLP surveys that we process, there may have been a delay between the time you completed the survey and the time it was logged in. If you wish to confirm that we have received your responses, please call us at 6808 7910 (10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays), or contact us on WhatsApp: 8037 9516 or email: slp@smu.edu.sg. You may also log in to the SLP portal and check under the Completed tab to confirm that you have completed the survey. Please note that any update to the survey status will only be reflected on this page on the following day.
15) I received a message that claims to be from the Singapore Management University (SMU) or Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA). How do I check if the message is legitimate?
Our reminder SMSes will only be sent from sender ID "SMU", and our emails will only be sent from "slp@smu.edu.sg". When in doubt, you may verify the message that you received by calling us at 6808 7910 (10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays) or contacting us on WhatsApp: 8037 9516 or email: slp@smu.edu.sg.
16) When will I receive my vouchers?
Once we have received your completed survey, we will mail out your vouchers at the end of the month. If you have moved and would like to update your address, please call us at 6808 7910 (10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays), or contact us on WhatsApp: 8037 9516 or email: slp@smu.edu.sg.
17) Can I have the survey report / results when it ends?
Research data will not be publicly available but the results will be shared with all our participants including yourself through newsletters that will be sent out every quarter. You may also go to our website https://rosa.smu.edu.sg to find out more about our research.
18) Can my friends or other family members join the panel?
Unfortunately we are not taking volunteers at this time.
1) Can there be more than one participant from my household?
We are seeking 1 member from each household who is between the ages of 48 and 53 (born between 1 March 1971 and 28 February 1976, both dates inclusive), and is a Singaporean or Singapore Permanent Resident. If this eligible member has a spouse, the spouse will be invited to enrol in the study by completing a baseline survey in the next phase.
2) Is my spouse eligible to participate in the study as well?
The spouse of any age eligible individual is eligible to participate in the study, even if he or she is not age eligible. However, the original age eligible person must participate in order for his or her non-age eligible spouse to qualify. For instance, Mr Tan is 50 years old and his wife, Mrs Tan, is 45 years old. Mr Tan is age eligible and can participate automatically. However, as Mrs Tan is not age eligible, she will only be eligible IF Mr Tan, her spouse, participates as well.
If you are the spouse of someone eligible for the study but are not directly eligible yourself, your spouse must register for the study in order for your enrolment in the study to continue. If your spouse chooses to withdraw from the study or does not participate in the study for longer than 6 months, please note that you will be dropped from the study.
3) My spouse lives at a separate local address from me. Is he or she still eligible to take part?
Yes, your spouse may also register.
4) I am between the ages of 54-79 this year and would like to join the original group of SLP members. Is this possible?
Unfortunately, due to research and funding constraints, we are only seeking to enlist the participation of individuals aged 48-53. Thus, this is not possible. We apologize for the inconvenience.
5) How and when will I receive my vouchers if I participate?
For the baseline survey, you will receive your RedeemSG Rewards eVoucher via SMS within 7 working days of your response.
For the subsequent surveys, you will receive your RedeemSG eVoucher via SMS on the first week of the following month. For example, if you complete the survey in November, you will receive the RedeemSG eVoucher SMS on the first week of December.
6) Must I commit to participating for all surveys until June 2025 in order to be a part of the study?
No, you may withdraw at any time without any consequence. Vouchers will be paid after each survey is completed. However, the research team would appreciate it if you participate for the full duration as this would improve the quality and value of the responses you provide for us.
7) Will I be required to complete the survey at a specific time each month?
No, you may choose to complete the survey in your own time anytime from when the survey opens till when it closes. The survey will typically open on the first of the month for three weeks. Additionally, you do not have to complete the survey at one go – our survey platform allows for participants to pause halfway through the survey and return to complete it at a later time.
8) Do I have to be able participate in every survey in order to enrol?
No, once you are enrolled you are free to choose whether or not to complete each survey. For instance, if you do not have time to complete the survey for this month, this is fine – you may skip this month and participate in the next survey month. However, you will not receive compensation for the month that you do not complete the survey.
9) I do not wish to participate and I do not want you to visit me – how do I reject this invitation?
We understand your reluctance to participate. While we do urge you to reconsider, you may decline participation by logging into the survey portal and refusing consent to participate when asked. We will be asking for your citizenship and date of birth but please be assured that if you refuse consent, all information that you provide prior, and all information that we have on you now will be deleted from our database.