Three in four polled give their parents an allowance

The practice of providing one’s parents-financial support after a child starts working remains widespread, with about half who do so giving between 300 and 500 a month

Business owner Delane Lim, 38, supports his parents to the tune of a few thousand dollars a month. Mr Lim, who is married with no children, gives them $1,600 in cash every month for them to spend.

He also pays for the salaries of two domestic helpers, among other bills, to care for his 65-year-old mother, who suffers from dementia. His 70-year-old father is a taxi driver.

Mr Lim, the younger of two children, said: "I see taking care of my parents as a moral responsibility, not an obligation. They took care of me, and now it is time for me to take care of them." While the sum he gives his parents is a "significant" part of his income, he said he does not want his parents to worry about money.

"I know when some day they pass on, I would have done my duty as a son to take care of them," he said. "I would feel at peace." The practice of giving one's parents financial support after a child starts working remains widespread, as three in four of the 1,000 people polled in an online survey commissioned by The Sunday Times give a regular allowance to their parents.

The survey, conducted by market research firm Milieu Insight, aimed to find out how attitudes towards giving an allowance to one's parents have changed over the generations.

People across three generations were polled: Gen Zs, aged 18 to 26; millennials, aged 27 to 42; and Gen Xs, aged 43 to 58.

The main findings are:

• Of respondents who give their parents an allowance, almost half of them give an average of $300 to $500 a month.

About half said the sum they give comprises between 10 percent and 20 percent of their monthly salary.

• Filial piety is the top reason why people give their parents money.

• For those who do not give their parents an allowance, the top two reasons are that their parents are "financially secure and do not need additional support", and the respondent is facing personal financial challenges.