Study: 79% of Malaysians Believe a Person Only ‘Truly’ Belongs in Malaysia If They Speak Bahasa Melayu

What makes someone a Malaysian?

A recent study by global pollster Pew Research Center found that 79% of Malaysian respondents believe speaking the country’s main language is what truly makes them Malaysian.

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What makes someone truly belong in Malaysia?

A report titled “What makes someone ‘truly’ belong in a country?” revealed that only 8% of respondents think speaking Bahasa Melayu isn’t important for someone to truly belong in Malaysia.

The study also pointed out similar responses in surveys from neighbouring countries like Thailand (78%) and Indonesia (83%), with Singapore being the notable exception.

“Globally, most people believe speaking the country’s main language is at least somewhat important for feeling like you truly belong. In many countries, a large number see it as very important,” the report noted.

Some think where they’re born is just as important

Compared to Singapore, the study found that only about a quarter (approximately 25%) of adults think speaking Mandarin is important to truly be Singaporean, despite the country having 3 other official languages: English, Malay, and Tamil.

Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of Malaysians (64%) say where you’re born is a big part of being a true Malaysian.

On top of that, 58% of Malaysians think sharing the country’s customs and traditions is more important to being truly Malaysian.

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments!

Also read: Study: Malaysia Ranks 3rd in Asia for Highest Number of Sugar Daddies in the Country