The Big Story: 72% say hawker culture is under threat from energy shocks, but can Singapore save it?

Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong · Apr 23, 2026 · 18m

Singapore’s hawker centres have long been seen as the city’s great equalizer, where a $5 meal still delivers comfort and cultural identity in one of the world’s most expensive cities. But new data suggests that this everyday institution is under mounting pressure. A recent Blackbox Research SensingSG survey finds that 72% of Singaporeans believe hawker culture is now under threat. Meanwhile, 4 in 10 Singaporeans say they cannot maintain their current lifestyle without access to affordable hawker food. What happens when something universally valued becomes economically…