Study shows Malaysians are very patriotic

KUALA LUMPUR: As Malaysia gears up for the National Day celebration tomorrow, a study by Kajidata Research shows that its citizens have great patriotism.

Conducted in July 2023 using 1,082 respondents from all major ethnic and age groups in Malaysia, the study found an astonishingly high 99% level of patriotism.

Extreme patriotism had always been the sentiment among Malaysians, as seen in Kajidata’s findings since 2013, said Prof Datuk Seri Syed Arabi Idid of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in his analysis of the data.

He said this level of pride was not seen in many nations, even in the United States where a Gallup poll in June 2023 showed that 67% of Americans were either extremely or very proud to be an American.

“The political divide in the country has very little bearing on Malaysians’ loyalty to their motherland, unlike in the US at present where the Gallup poll indicated that Republican supporters showed greater pride in their country than the rest,” he told Bernama.

Slightly more than half of the respondents in the age group of 21 to 23 years were the ones more confident of their future and the status of their families, according to the study, he said.

As for the Madani concept, the survey showed a high 80% acceptance.

The concept envisions a civilised, skilled and inclusive society based on six core values, namely Sustainability, Prosperity, Innovation, Respect, Trust and Compassion.

Prof Syed Arabi said the acceptance of the Madani concept was also because Malaysians believed the framework could deliver the much-awaited changes they wanted to see in the country.

He noted that the study also found that three years ago, only 35% of the respondents were optimistic about the future but now under the Madani concept, this was now 48%.

They were also now more optimistic about their family’s future, the country’s economy, employment opportunities and their financial state, the study found.

Kajidata’s adviser Datuk Haris Ismail noted that while the high level of acceptance of the Madani concept was good, more needed to be done by civil servants in delivering the pledges made under the framework.

Haris said the participation of the government machinery and state governments in implementing Madani policies was still lagging, adding that this had to be addressed to ensure that the Madani concept achieved its goals.