Cost of living, political tensions leave malaysians seeking a clearer future, DARE study finds

 

MALAYSIANS are seeking greater clarity over the country’s long-term direction as cost-of-living pressures, concerns over social cohesion and political uncertainty weigh on their outlook, according to a qualitative study by Datametrics Research and Information Centre (DARE).

The small-scale study was conducted ahead of Budget 2027 against the backdrop of Malaysia’s evolving political landscape. It sought to explore how Malaysians viewed immediate household pressures and the country’s longer-term prospects.

DARE stressed that the exercise was a qualitative pulse check rather than a statistically representative national survey.

Participants were asked about four broad themes: whether current economic interventions were doing enough to address living costs; the state of social cohesion; whether Malaysia had a clear and compelling vision for the future; and whether today’s generation had opportunities comparable with those available to previous generations.

DARE managing director Pankaj Kumar said anxiety about the future was a recurring theme in the discussions, with participants frequently raising the rising cost of necessities, housing and raising a family.

“There was also a recurring sense that Malaysia needs a clearer and more easily understood national destination, one capable of mobilising government, business and ordinary Malaysians behind common objectives,” Pankaj remarked.

One participant, Shazwan Zainal, 44, a working professional from the Klang Valley, questioned whether Malaysians still had a shared understanding of the country’s long-term ambitions.

“We hear about many plans and programmes, but as an ordinary Malaysian, I am not sure what Malaysia is trying to become in the next 10 or 20 years. We used to understand what Vision 2020 meant,” he said.

Concerns extend beyond household finances

Social cohesion and racial harmony were also recurring concerns.

Some participants felt political and racial controversies received disproportionate attention and risked distracting the country from shared economic challenges.

Hee Ching Ching, 27, a young professional from Kuala Lumpur, said everyday concerns often cut across ethnic lines despite political narratives suggesting otherwise.

“My colleagues and friends are Malay, Chinese and Indian. Most of us worry about the same things, salaries, our children’s education, buying a house and taking care of our parents,” she commented.

Sometimes the politics makes Malaysia look more divided than our everyday lives actually are.”

Intergenerational opportunity was another recurring theme, with some younger participants questioning whether wage growth, housing affordability and career progression would allow them to achieve the economic security associated with their parents’ generation.

“My parents started with very little but felt their lives were improving every few years. For my generation, even when our salaries increase, everything else seems to increase with it,” said Nurul Syafiqah Mohd Razi, 39, a private-sector employee from Selangor.

Malaysians want a clearer national direction

Pankaj said the findings should not be interpreted as an opinion poll, but as an attempt to understand the concerns beneath headline economic indicators.

“Malaysia has policy frameworks and economic programmes, but what came through from these conversations was a desire for something larger and clearer, a national direction that ordinary Malaysians can understand, participate in and believe in,” he observed.

He said social cohesion should also be viewed as part of Malaysia’s economic infrastructure.

“A country cannot realise its economic potential if too much national energy is consumed by political quarrels and racial polemics,” he remarked.

Malaysia’s diversity has historically been one of its strengths. The challenge is to ensure Malaysians continue to see themselves as stakeholders in a common future.”

With Budget 2027 approaching, Pankaj said the government had an opportunity to connect immediate household concerns with longer-term national ambitions.

“People understandably want relief today, but they also want confidence about tomorrow. Malaysia needs to be able to do both, address the price of groceries this month while building the industries, skills, infrastructure and opportunities that will define the next generation,” he said.

DARE considers larger national study

DARE is considering a larger, structured nationwide study examining Malaysian attitudes towards the cost of living, economic opportunity, intergenerational mobility, national unity, political stability and the country’s long-term direction.

Pankaj stressed that such research could help policymakers better understand public sentiment beyond economic and political indicators.

“Beyond GDP numbers and political narratives, policymakers need to understand a very simple question: How do Malaysians actually feel about their country, their opportunities and their future? That is ultimately the conversation DARE wants to deepen,” he said. - Focus Malaysia