Emplifi, a leading customer engagement platform, today released its ‘Singapore Government Social Media Report – H1 2024.’ The report analyzes how 42 statutory boards and 16 ministries are using Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube to connect with Singaporeans on key issues like healthcare, education, and national defence.

“Social media is the heartbeat of modern communication. It’s no longer just a platform; it's a critical channel for building trust, transparency, and engagement,” said Varun Sharma, Senior Vice President and General Manager for EMEA and APJ, Emplifi. “This report delves deep into the Singapore government's digital footprint – we provide insights into the government's social media strategy by analyzing key metrics and understanding public sentiment to see how well it's engaging citizens.”
 
“The key takeaway is that Instagram continues to be a dominant force in Singapore's social media landscape, boasting a substantial user base, particularly among young demographics. The platform's popularity is underscored by its consistent position as the most engaging network, outperforming Facebook, YouTube, and X,” adds Sharma.
 
Statutory boards versus ministries
 
Statutory boards are significantly more active than ministries, producing triple the content in the first half of 2024. Both groups saw increased engagement compared to the previous year, with statutory boards and ministries experiencing 6.6% and 13.4% growth respectively. Overall content creation dropped by 42.5% from H1 2023, with X experiencing the largest decline (from 13,751 to 2,956 posts). Despite this decrease, interactions grew by 7%, reaching 3,552,720 in H1 2024 (3,323,381 in H1 2023). Instagram reigned supreme as the most engaging platform, capturing 61.4% of interactions, outperforming Facebook's 36.5%.
 
Most engaging campaigns
 
“The most effective campaigns skillfully combined compelling narratives with diverse media formats. By personalizing these stories to resonate with specific audiences, such as through language, they expanded their reach and fostered a strong sense of community,” said Sharma.
 
Singapore Army’s #AnythingButRegular campaign was the standout performer on social media during the first half of 2024, generating 331,224 interactions across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Instagram proved to be the driving force behind the campaign's success, contributing to 72.67% of total interactions. By offering a candid glimpse into army life through personal stories, daily routines, and training experiences, the campaign resonated with audiences, particularly those with past or present military ties. The diverse range of media formats used to share these stories further enhanced engagement. Following closely behind, MuslimSG's Ramadan & Raya content secured the second spot with 69,418 interactions. NParks' evergreen campaign, #CityinNatureSG, claimed the third position with 56,224 interactions on Facebook and Instagram.
 
The top 5 most-watched videos on YouTube in H1 2024 accumulated between 2.2 and 8.5 million views each and featured a mix of government agencies: two by the Ministry of Health (MOH), one by Gov.sg, alongside another two by SkillsFuture. MOH racked up 16.88 million views from 47 YouTube videos, and their ‘Try not to pop the balloon!’ video, showcasing healthcare workers' skills with a playful twist, skyrocketed to the top with over 8 million views alone. SkillsFuture SG stood out with its short, engaging videos. These bite-sized clips, often featuring heartwarming stories, effectively captured audience attention and explained SkillsFuture initiatives clearly. Additionally, the availability of subtitles in Mandarin, Tamil, and Malay ensured accessibility for a wider demographic.
 
Singapore’s ministers boost public engagement through social media

Singaporean ministers are utilizing social media to build stronger relationships with citizens. With a substantial follower base on Facebook (55.75%) and Instagram (25.53%), ministers predominantly leverage these platforms, comprising nearly 90% of their content. In terms of audience engagement, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong boasted the highest interactions with 66.53% of engagement attributable to Instagram.

“Social media is a vital tool for Singaporean ministers to connect with the public, with Instagram and Facebook paving the way as the most popular platforms for government communication. We can see that visual content proves particularly effective in resonating with the Singaporean audience,” concludes Sharma.

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