Tag: Singapore

As Asian cities urbanise at an unprecedented rate in history, young people are moving from rural areas to cities, seeking fairer access to education, jobs, housing, transportation and amenities of liveable city life. As demands on resources intensify, policy-makers are grappling with more complex infrastructural and socio-economic challenges.

Against this backdrop, Singapore Management University (SMU) recently launched the SMU Urban Institute (UI), a new research institute dedicated to the study of human-centred aspects of urbanisation, with a focus on balancing urban growth and sustainability.

Helming the new institute as its Director is SMU Associate Professor of Geography Orlando Woods. He says, “Whilst many urban planning and design models might draw on the examples of Western cities, it has become increasingly important to learn from the Asian urban experience to better understand how to address the challenges faced by our fast-growing cities.”

UI will address the sensory, socio-cultural and economic experiences of living in a city, the inequalities arising from wealth accumulation, and how infrastructure in terms of buildings, policy and regulation might limit or enable the growth of cities. Through a multi-and inter-disciplinary lens focused on Asian cities, the institute will engage with scholars, policymakers, communities and industry as a platform for cities to learn from one another, and explore collaborative solutions for sustainable urban development.

Commitment to collaboration

Underlying its commitment to sharing expertise, SMU inked a partnership with Thammasat University’s Design School at the launch of the institute. This will facilitate the exchange of research materials; students and researchers; and the joint organisation of seminars and symposiums.

SMU UI is also in talks with the University of Melbourne (UniMelb) and the University of Toronto (UOT) on a variety of urban research collaborations. SMU and the Melbourne Centre for Cities are planning to partner in a joint event for regional city leaders at the upcoming World Cities Summit in Singapore; while SMU and UOT have hosted a joint grant call to foster collaborative urban-related research on the theme of “Migration, Thriving and Belonging”.

The research pillars of the new institute

Spanning the disciplines of urban geography, urban and behavioural economics, public policy, operations management and geospatial data analytics, UI will consolidate SMU’s existing urban-related research and generate new research directions. It will focus its research on three pillars.

Urban Life, the first, seeks to explore what makes cities liveable, while Urban Growth studies inequalities and challenges of urban development. The third, Urban Infrastructure, looks at how hard infrastructure (materials) and soft infrastructures (such as social, legal or regulatory constraints) affect how cities evolve.

“Our investment in establishing UI cannot be overstated,” observes SMU President, Professor Lily Kong. She adds: “It is about undertaking deep, rigorous research to enhance our understanding of cities. But more than that, it is about laying the groundwork for liveable, resilient, and inclusive cities in Asia. As Asian cities grow at an unprecedented pace, the transformative potential of the UI becomes even more pronounced.”

Of people with dementia in Singapore, 6 in 10 say they are treated as less competent than usual, with one in two feeling incompetent and embarrassed about their condition, citing stigma as the main reason.

Singapore’s new national survey on dementia also revealed that more than 75 per cent think the country is markedly less than dementia-friendly and that stigma around dementia is as prevalent as it was in 2019, with more than half still rating their inclusion level in everyday life at less than 30%. This is even as the rejection, loneliness and shame they face have dropped significantly from 72 per cent to 31 per cent across these four years.

SMU’s Principal Lecturer of Statistics Rosie Ching created and carried out the 2019 and 2023 running nationwide study she named “Remember.For.Me.” which revealed these perceptions of dementia, a burgeoning health problem in the fast-ageing country where more than 1 in 10 over the age of 60 has dementia.

Overall, an excess of 80 per cent, almost 30 per cent higher than in 2019, are confident that more needs to be done to improve the quality of life of people with dementia, citing their frustration at their lack of knowledge about dementia support, demonstrating the need for more education and outreach. The average knowledge level about dementia among the citizens surveyed remains below 50 per cent.

With Dementia Singapore as her supporting partner, Ms. Ching and her students interviewed 3,226 people across Singapore, probing into changes in knowledge levels, beliefs, attitudes, awareness of support available and their efficacy.

“Remember.For.Me.” has drawn media attention for the national need for even greater dementia awareness, support and dementia-friendliness.

A new study by SMU Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA) unveils a higher social well-being score among seniors who have access to neighbourhood amenities

The availability of neighbourhood amenities, including parks, greenspaces, or exercise spaces within a 10-minute walk from home, is found to be associated with higher social well-being scores among Singapore’s older adults, according to a new study by the SMU Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA).

ROSA researchers reached these conclusions after polling 6,689 Singaporeans between the ages of 58 to 78 (inclusive) in May 2022, with data drawn from the Singapore Life Panel® (SLP). The SLP is a nationally representative monthly panel survey of middle-aged and older adults in Singapore, which began with a sample of Singaporeans aged between 50 and 70 years of age in 2015.

Named “The social well-being of older adults in Singapore”, the study aimed to use the Keyes concept of social well-being to understand and improve the well-being of middle-aged and older adults in Singapore. According to Keyes, social well-being consists of 5 primary components: social coherence, social actualization, social integration, social contribution, and social acceptance.

“Aristotle famously said that Man is by nature a social animal. Social well-being is, and will remain, key to successful ageing. With this study, we’re seeing that as social well-being improves, mental well-being scores among older adults improve. As Singapore’s silver population comes of age, it’s more important than ever for us to step up efforts to help older adults feel like they are part of a community,” said Professor Paulin Straughan, Director, ROSA.

This study was made possible through the generosity of The Ngee Ann Kongsi and the support of the Ministry of Education. Full details of the report can be accessed here.

Key findings and practical implications for society:

1. The availability of neighbourhood amenities is found to be positively associated with social well-being. In other words, our results suggest that when older adults have more amenities available to them within their neighbourhood, they feel more integrated within their communities and that they have more to contribute to their communities.

2. The greatest difference in social well-being score is found when comparing between respondents with and without parks, greenspaces, or exercise spaces within a 10-minute walk from their home. This suggests that parks and green spaces are especially important in ensuring for the social well-being of older adults. This could be due to the fact that such spaces afford older adults with opportunities to interact with other members of the community. Such interactions are vital in creating a sense of community among residents.

3. We also find that social activities are positively correlated with social well-being, with the frequency of digital contact having the strongest effect on the social well-being of respondents. This suggests that digital contact can be a viable point of intervention in increasing the social well-being of older adults in Singapore, and that current efforts to increase the digital literacy of older adults should be strengthened.

In terms of recommendations, ROSA suggests the following for consideration:

1.       Further research should be conducted to uncover the differential effects that the availability of specific neighborhood amenities can have on the social well-being of older adults. The current descriptive results preliminary suggest that different amenities shape social well-being to different extents. However, we note that the present data are correlational and that these trends will thus require further investigation. This further research will likely be valuable for policy formation as by identifying the types of amenities that are most likely to contribute to social well-being.

2.       Increasing middle-aged and older adult participation in social activities may be a key means by which social and mental well-being can be improved, and efforts to keep older adults engaged in such activities should be expanded.

The Singapore Management University’s (SMU) School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS)  announced a collaboration with global professional services company, Accenture,
and cloud provider, Amazon Web Services (AWS) to launch a new Work-Study Elective (WSE) Programme. The Programme is a six-month commitment from students to learn the latest AWS Cloud technologies and apply classroom knowledge to innovate cloud-based solutions that address real-world challenges.

The WSE Programme is open to all SCIS students annually, and comprises two key components – an Accenture internship qualification and a Cloud Solutions Development course supported by Accenture and AWS. Over six months, students will learn and apply AWS Cloud technologies via associate-level courses and certifications from AWS Academy, a free, ready-to-teach cloud computing curriculum for higher education institutions that prepares students to pursue industry-recognised credentials and in-demand technology jobs. Selected courses in SCIS are conducted using AWS Academy teaching and learning resources that prepare students to build industry-aligned capstone projects on AWS Cloud and achieve AWS certifications.

Students will also work on problem statements designed by Accenture and innovate on solutions built on AWS Cloud, addressing these challenges. Those who successfully complete the WSE Programme, along with SMU’s courses in IT solution architecture and enterprise solution development, will be eligible to apply for an internship opportunity with Accenture.

According to recently published Accenture research, there has been an increase in cloud investment over the last two years, with more than 86% of global companies reporting an increase in cloud initiatives. An AWS-commissioned industry report highlights Asia Pacific businesses that employ cloud engineers and software developers report annual revenues 150% higher than those that rely on workers with basic digital skills. As cloud becomes more prevalent in organisations, there is a growing need for skilled professionals who can manage and optimise cloud environments, and also a need for upskilling and reskilling programmes.

Professor Pang Hwee Hwa, Dean, School of Computing and Information Systems and Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Computer Science, Singapore Management University says, “The momentum of digitalisation remains unabated and employers are seeking more highly skilled digital talent. As a key business and technology hub in Asia, Singapore needs to ensure a high quality, digitally-skilled talent pipeline. This is borne out by the strong performance of our graduates in the recent Graduate Employment Survey. Preparing our students does not stop at the curriculum, we want to equip our students with the right skills and be workforce-ready. SMU’s Education and Career Guidance brings together students and industry collaborators like Accenture and AWS to help students better understand the cloud job roles. The WSE Programme supported by Accenture and AWS is a great example of industry leaders coming together to deliver a learning and working environment that strengthens the industry relevance of our students, specifically in high-demand cloud skills.”

Ng Wee Wei, Southeast Asia Market Unit Lead and Singapore’s Country Managing Director, Accenture says, “Technology is transforming societies and economies, but to realise its potential, we need the right talent. Cloud, data, and AI skills are crucial for thriving in the digital economy. The WSE Programme with SMU and AWS expands on Accenture’s commitment to talent creation through retraining, skills prioritisation, and combining technology with human potential. Our ‘hire to train’ approach quickly upskills talents on emerging technologies. We are proud and excited about the potential of this collaboration which offers hands-on cloud technology experience and real-world project work for students to build a future-ready, resilient workforce for Singapore’s growing digital economy.”

Elsie Tan, Singapore Country Manager, Public Sector, Amazon Web Services says, “The WSE
Programme highlights the importance of academic and industry collaborations to co-design and co-deliver cloud skills training and development, directly addressing the Singapore Government’s call for action to skill, reskill, and upskill workers. AWS is honoured to support world-leading universities like SMU and trusted AWS Partners like Accenture to enable students to earn industry-recognised certifications, secure potential employment, and ramp up their career readiness to successfully transition from academia to the workforce. AWS has trained over 200,000 individuals in Singapore on cloud skills since 2017 and we look forward to deepening our commitment to support even more industry collaborations to digitally skill more learners.”

Study by lead author Assistant Professor Andree Hartanto from SMU and his team examined the notion whether frequent use of smartphones may lead to daily cognitive failures

A new study by the Singapore Management University finds that more frequent smartphone checking behaviour is associated with greater incidences of daily cognitive failures. However, the findings also indicate that some forms of screen time are actually associated with reduced cognitive failures.

Titled “Smartphone use and daily cognitive failures: A critical examination using a daily diary approach with objective smartphone measures”, it was led by Assistant Professor of Psychology Andree Hartanto (Singapore Management University) and published in the British Journal of Psychology. The study team comprised co-authors Kristine Y.X. Lee, Chua Yi Jing, Frosch Y.X. Quek and Nadyanna M. Majeed.

Rationale/motivation for this study

While smartphones have brought many benefits and conveniences to users, there is continuing debate regarding their potential negative consequences on everyday cognition if used too frequently. Research has suggested that frequent smartphone use can lead to cognitive overload and decrease attentional control, which may contribute to cognitive failures such as forgetfulness, distraction, and mind wandering. Moreover, the use of smartphones can be interruptive, which may interfere with the one’s ability to focus and complete tasks.

A few cross-sectional studies have found positive associations between smartphone use and cognitive failures. However, several research gaps remain, such as the use of cross-sectional designs, confounds related to stable individual differences, the lack of validity in self-report measures of smartphone use, memory biases in retrospective self-reports, and the lack of differentiation between smartphone checking and smartphone screen time. To simultaneously address the aforementioned shortcomings, the team was thus motivated to conduct this study.

Methodology (N = 181)

A total of 181 youths based in Singapore were surveyed. The participants first completed a baseline survey that collected data such as age, sex, monthly household income, and socioeconomic status. They then completed a daily diary study for seven days. Screen time and smartphone checking for seven days were objectively tracked using the inbuilt iOS Screen Time Application Programming Interface.

The incidence of daily cognitive failures was assessed by the 13-item Cognitive Failures in Everyday Life Scale , where participants indicated whether they had experienced cognitive failures such as failing to remember the right word to use, leaving tasks unfinished due to distraction, or unintentionally allowing their mind to wander.

Participants also had to report each day whether they had experienced any of seven types of stressors – discrimination, work/education stressors, network stressors, arguments, avoided arguments, stressors at home, and others, as well as complete daily assessments of emotional states.

Key findings and practical impact/implications for society

The study revealed that smartphone checking, but not total smartphone screen time, predicted a greater occurrence of daily cognitive failures at the within-person level.

The team found that on days where individuals engaged in more smartphone checking, they were more likely to experience cognitive failures, as compared with days when they engaged in less smartphone checking. According to Asst Prof Andree Hartanto, “This suggests that excessive smartphone checking is a distracting behaviour that increases cognitive load and thus cognitive failures. This is something that we should be mindful especially when engaging in activities that require full attention such as driving and studying. Given the risk of cognitive failure, it important to turn off notification or put the phone on silent during these activities. Taking regular breaks from smartphone usage, avoiding multitasking, and setting intentions and goals for smartphone usage have been shown to be useful too.”

Surprisingly, the team also found that the incidence of daily cognitive failures was negatively related to smartphone screen time for social-related applications and tools-related applications. This suggests that some types of smartphone use may temporarily benefit one’s cognitive functioning. “For example, tools-related applications, such as calculator and navigation maps, may help in helping individuals momentarily offload cognitive resources, thereby freeing up mental capacity to work on the task at hand,” adds Asst Prof Andree Hartanto. “Nevertheless, moderation is still the key. Moderate use of smartphone and other technological devices has been shown to be safe and normal. That is why it is still important for parents with children who use their phone excessively to set boundaries and schedules for their children’s smartphone usage.”

This finding demonstrates the importance of studying the specific functions of smartphone use and their differential cognitive consequences, as well as highlights the complex relations between smartphone use and cognition.

“Ultimately a smartphone is a tool, and just like any other tool, it requires us to be mindful and smart in its usage. This way, we can optimise its benefits and minimise its potential drawback” says Asst Prof Andree Hartanto. 

Singapore Management University (SMU) Yong Pung How School of Law (YPHSL) will allow interested law students to specialise and gain a higher level of proficiency in the practical and interdisciplinary areas of Corporate Transaction; Law and Technology; and Dispute Resolution via a new Tracks scheme; as well as require all law students to complete a Law Capstone Course before they graduate.

The law school announced these enhancements to its Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Juris Doctor (JD) programmes following a recent review of its curriculum, which took into key consideration the impact of global trends on the legal sector. The review, part of an on-going process to ensure that the SMU LLB and JD are constantly innovated to meet new and future challenges, collected input and feedback from a panel of over 50 practising lawyers in the private and public sectors.

Professor Lee Pey Woan, Dean of SMU YPHSL said, “The Tracks scheme guides students in elective selection for key and emerging practice areas, gives them the flexibility to tailor their curriculum, and allows them to gain a head-start in their preferred field. More than simply a curation of law electives within a law subfield, this scheme builds upon the multi and interdisciplinary nature of our existing LLB curriculum in recognition that the law does not exist in the abstract but to serve business and broader societal needs. It also recognises the growing diversity in legal career options and the inevitable shift towards more complex work.”

“The legal industry is evolving and is demanding in its workforce a higher level of competency in skills and knowledge in adjacent disciplines that are important to the practice and study of law. These changes will further strengthen and distinguish SMU’s LLB programme, and nurture future-ready and practice-ready SMU law graduates; they also give students a distinct competitive edge when they enter the workforce,” she added.

Currently, all law undergraduates at SMU get baseline exposure to adjacent disciplines (including finance, technology, etc.) as part of the SMU LLB curriculum. Students enrolled in the SMU LLB on and after Academic Year (AY) 2021-2022 who are keen to delve deeper into the interdisciplinary areas can choose to declare a Track, which will be reflected in their official transcripts. This allows students to signal their interest and expertise to their employers in a formal way.

YPHSL is the only law school in Singapore that offers specialisation in law, which is yet another testament to SMU’s innovative approach to education.

Every law student from the AY2021 cohort enrolled in the LLB programme will also be required to take a Law Capstone course. Commenting on the motivation of this new requirement, Professor Lee said, “Recognising that real world problems are increasingly complex, the Law Capstone course adds the polishing touch, training students to look across traditional boundaries by working on projects that span three or more areas of the law and through a practical lens. Rather than looking for fixed or standard answers, students participate in the process of creating new solutions.”

Building upon the university’s flagship SMU-X programme – project-based experiential learning where SMU students work in small groups and apply their interdisciplinary knowledge on real-world projects with industry and faculty mentors – every Law Capstone course going forward will be an SMU-X course. YPHSL has also integrated the Law Capstone requirement into the LLB Tracks. For those who have declared a specific Track, there will be a designated Law Capstone that must be taken.

Singapore Management University (SMU) School of Social Sciences (SOSS) Assistant Professor Kimin Eom has received the Association for Psychological Science (APS) Rising Star designation.

The APS Rising Star designation is presented to outstanding APS Members in the earliest stages of their research career post-PhD. Drawing its name from an Observer editorial series that featured exemplars of the exciting work being done by the field’s newest researchers, this designation recognises researchers whose innovative work has already advanced the field and signals great potential for their continued contributions.

Asst Prof Eom’s primary research examines prosociality, broadly defined – why people behave in ways that benefit others, society, and the globe. In particular, he examines this topic within the context of social and global challenges that threaten society’s sustainability, such as climate change and pandemics.

How he got this achievement

When asked why he thought he has been named as a Rising Star, he said, “My research on culture and sustainability played an important role, I believe. There is a significant body of research on the psychology of sustainability behaviour, but still a dearth of research has considered culture and diversity. Given the global nature of sustainability problems, this is a serious limitation. My research has addressed this gap by examining diverse forms of culture, such as nationality, social class, and religion, to understand how people with different cultural backgrounds respond to sustainability problems and what similarly and differently motivates their sustainability related actions.”

How his research impacts society and its implications

In general, as a scholar, Asst Prof Eom pursues fundamental questions about human psychology (e.g., what motivates human action, how culture shapes human psychology, how others influence our behaviour) but pay close attention and care about the contexts where he addresses those questions. He tries to test theoretically novel ideas in contexts of important and timely social issues. By doing so, his research aims to advance psychological theory while offering practical insights (for interventions, policy making, marketing, etc.) for positive social change.

He further elaborated, “regarding my research on culture and sustainability, policies and interventions are commonly built on implicit assumptions about the ways in which behaviour operates. Importantly, my research has identified cultural differences in determinants of pro-environmental motivation and behaviour. These findings inform what psychological factors can be targeted for different cultural groups. These findings also suggest that we need to apply different assumptions when approaching people with different backgrounds, which should be informed by data and research.”

Other research areas he is working on

Recently, he has actively worked on research on social norms: How people perceive and respond to social norms and their implications for positive attitudes and behaviour change. According to Asst Prof Eom, norms can be powerful tools to be leveraged for behaviour change across various domains at the workplace, school or cultural settings.

Moving forward, he says “I would like to continue to develop and expand my research on culture, norms, and sustainability and offer new knowledge and insights towards greater sustainability and collective well-being.”

A new study by the SMU Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA) revealed that nearly 1 in 3 older adults in Singapore felt there was at least a 50 percent chance that they would be unable to afford basic necessities or have difficulties paying bills.

This latest study, “Concerns over the cost of living among older adults in Singapore”, which polled 6,839 Singaporeans aged 57 to 76 in August 2022, showed a marked increase in the number of seniors who expected their financial situation to worsen. Almost half of the respondents surveyed (45 per cent) felt that they would be forced to lower their standard of living, up from 38 per cent who felt the same way in May 2020 during the circuit-breaker.

The three items respondents were most worried about being able to afford were (in order of most to least) (i) medical services, (ii) utilities, and (iii) prescription medication.

“As intuitive as they may sound, these results warrant closer attention given that economic expectations are an important predictor of well-being. With these findings, we are kept abreast of how rapid inflation and rising costs are shaping the economic concerns and consumption decisions of older Singaporeans. These findings also highlight older adults as a demographic group that is particularly vulnerable to the rising cost of living, and help us to better identify measures that effectively help vulnerable seniors cope with the pinch of rising living costs in line with national efforts to promote successful ageing,” said Professor Paulin Straughan, Director, ROSA.

This study uses data from the Singapore Life Panel®, a population representative monthly online survey of Singaporeans aged 57 to 76 in 2022 that has been conducted since 2015. This study was made possible through the generosity of The Ngee Ann Kongsi and the support of the Ministry of Education.

Full details of the report can be accessed here.

Key findings and recommendations:

1.       Of those surveyed, 45 per cent anticipated that they would be forced to lower their standard of living. This is up from 38 per cent who felt the same way in May 2020 during the circuit-breaker, suggesting that older adults are more concerned now about their financial situations than they were during the circuit-breaker.

2.       32 per cent of respondents surveyed in August 2022 expected that they would be unable to afford basic necessities or have difficulties paying bills, up from 22 per cent in May 2020.

3.       The following demographic groups had the highest expectations of negative financial impacts, where they expected that they would be forced to lower their standard of living or be forced to use their savings or liquidate their investments, and anticipated being unable to afford basic necessities or having difficulties paying their bills:

i.            Respondents who were unemployed, laid off, or on sick leave

ii.            Respondents with primary or no education

iii.            Respondents living in 1-3 room HDB flats

Based on the above findings, ROSA makes these policy recommendations for consideration:

1.       Support for older adults should be targeted at those likely to experience more severe financial difficulties (older adults with low-SES, as well as older adults who are unemployed, laid off, or on sick leave).

2.       Financial support should focus on providing for necessities (utilities, groceries, and healthcare needs), as respondents were most concerned about the affordability of such items.

3.       Effective communication of the government’s mitigation measures for the inflation and impending GST hikes is warranted to buffer the psychological impact of older individuals’ financial concerns.

New research from the Singapore Management University shows that having individuals visualise the shock of future climate change failed to motivate them to change behaviour. Research insights demonstrate the importance of customising communication strategies to different groups, from climate sceptics to individuals already living sustainable lives. This research paper is newly published in PLOS Climate, an open-access journal that furthers understanding of climatic impacts and solutions

There is no easy way to engage with the general public to communicate the risks of climate change, according to a new study. Contrary to the adage of ‘seeing is believing’, individuals who saw what the future impacts of climate change may look like were not positively motivated to make behavioural changes. This was particularly true for climate sceptics[1] and for individuals who already live more climate-friendly and sustainable lives.

Led by Assistant Professor Terry van Gevelt from the College of Integrative Studies, Singapore Management University (SMU), this research investigated the use of immersive virtual experiences to communicate the risks of climate change to the general public, with a focus on coastal cities in Asia. This latest study, “Using virtual simulations of future extreme weather events to communicate climate change risk”, is based on experimental survey data from 1,500 respondents in Hong Kong, conducted in 2021.

Elaborating on the research methodology, Assistant Professor Terry van Gevelt said: “We created a completely feasible and rigorous model of an extreme weather event amplified by the expected impacts of climate change. This extreme weather event – a super typhoon –was then modelled to hit an Asian coastal city (Hong Kong, in this case) and we created a virtual simulation of the event. This virtual simulation was used as a risk communication vehicle, or a way to experientially communicate the future impacts of climate change.”

The authors underscored the importance of not overestimating the effectiveness of immersive visualisations to communicate climate risks.

“Visualising the devastating impacts of climate change play out in the cities we live in should provide the wake-up call needed to modify individual behaviour and support costly climate adaptation and mitigation measures. Unfortunately, our results suggest that ‘seeing is not believing’, especially for climate sceptics,” said Assistant Professor van Gevelt. “This goes to show that there is no easy solution to communicating climate change risk. Instead, we need to accept complexity and see highly targeted and contextual immersive experiences as one component within a comprehensive engagement strategy.”

These research findings were published on 1 February 2023 in PLOS Climate, a Californian-based non-profit and Open Access journal with a focus on collaborative, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research to combat climate change. The research was conducted in collaboration with Duke University, Nanyang Technological University, University of Hong Kong, University of Macau, Hohai University and Sun Yat-sen University.

This work was supported by the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong (ref: 17601221), the University of Hong Kong (ref: 104005971.101497.30100.301.01 and ref: 202009002) and an Epic Games MegaGrant. Ethical approval was granted by the Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of Hong Kong (Ref: EA200187).

[1] Climate sceptics refer to individuals who do not think anthropogenic climate change is happening.