BBDO VOICESExploring The Modern Concept of Malaysian Identity

and Unity

The anomaly Truly Asia. 1Malaysia. We all know that the beauty of Malaysia and what makes it unique is it’s long established multiracial and multicultural heritage. However is this where story ends? Whilst other nations have established (and stereotypical) national traits that their people are said to uphold regardless of race (E.g, USA’s optimism and confidence: The American Dream, Singapore’s ‘kiasu-ness’ and 1st class ambition etc.), Malaysia is more known for the fact that it is simply multicultural but not so much for the traits that bind them (other than an inherent love for food!). Whilst brands try to traverse the differences with various vernacular translations etc. and while the Government attempts to build a sense of togetherness, we dig a little deeper into the concept of race and identity in Malaysia to see what’s beyond the surface and if and how businesses can be part of the cultural narrative…

What does it mean to be a Malaysian?

A melting pot of distinct races, each with their own distinct cultures, what is it that binds Malaysians? What common ethic or philosophy do they subscribe to?

In this edition of BBDO Voices, we explore the concept of the common Malaysian identity. Is there one? What is it? Is it positive or negative? How will it impact the nation and how can or should businesses be part of the narrative?

A culmination of an extensive survey and subsequent group discussions and interviews with Malaysians from all walks of life, the following are our findings…

Are Malaysians united? Is unity what they want?

Many Malaysians believe that more unity amongst Malaysians is the way to go and will assert a sense of unity and respect for fellow Malaysians, however it is clear that walking the talk is harder than it seems.

Unity is the goal but not always the reality

Most but not all believe Malaysia is united

A significant number of Chinese (30%) and Malays (15%) interviewed for this research, do not believe that the nation is united. Whilst the majority believe the nation is united, there is some work needed to create widespread confidence.

• Generational differences in perception of Malaysian unity

Majority of Malaysians and their parents agree that Malaysia is united, this belief is relatively weaker among

younger group and Chinese race

Total 18-24 25-30 31-35 Chinese Malay Indian

3% 1% 3% 4% 1% 4% 11%

24% 28% 19%26% 31%

15%11%

24% 29% 23% 18%32%

16%33%

50% 41% 55%52%

37% 65%44%

Q#: D1. Which of the following statements best describes your and your parents’ perception of Malaysian unity?Base Total Respondents (206), Chinese/Malay/Indian (98/93/9), 18-24/25-30/31-35 (68/88/50), *low base

Low base

My parents believe Malaysia is united and I agree with them

I am not aware of how my par-ents think but I think Malaysia is as united as it can be

My parents believe Malaysia is united but I disagree with them

I am not aware of how my par-ents think but I think Malaysia is not as united as it can be

Half of Malaysian youth is not influenced by their parents’ opinion on Malaysia unity. And this group split

into half for the belief vs. non-belief of an united Malaysia

Lower income groups prioritise religion over nationality when it comes to

identity Nationality is the most binding of traits regardless of race or religion, however lower income groups opt for the more divisive factor of religion as more important when it comes to identity.

• Personal identity in Malaysia

Q#: B1. Which of the following do you think best describes your identity in Malaysia?Base Total Respondents (206), Male/Female (83/123), Chinese/Malay/Indian (98/93/9) (Kuala Lumpur/Klang/Kuching (155/35/16) , Less than 51,600RM/above 51,600RM (59/147) , 18-24/25-30/31-

35 (68/88/50), Single/Married without kids/Married with kids (130/55/18) *low base

67%

17%

14%

-2

5

-3

Nationality

Race

Religion

1

7

-12

-4

-8

14

11

5

-14

-1

2

-1

-4

-3

9

Total Male Female Chinese Malay Indian Kuala Lumpur Klang Kuching

14

-11

-14

67%

17%

14%

-6

-2

6

Nationality

Race

Religion

-7

5

1

1

-1

1

5

-3

-4

-5

5

-2

6

-10

6

Total Below 51,600RM

Above 51,600RM 18-24 25-30 31-35 Single Married

without kidsMarried with

kids

16

-6

-8

2

1

-3

Low base Low base

Low base

0

-2

1

2/3 of Malaysians describe their identity using nationality. However, Malays are more likely to think of their identity in

terms of religion and Chinese in terms of race.

A little more reserved at ‘marrying age’

Interestingly, Malaysians are very open to making friends outside their own racial groups, however this sentiment dips considerably between the ages of 25 to 30 years old.

• Influence of race on friendship _ Do they make friends outside of their racial group?

A majority of Malaysians are open to making friends outside their racial group, in particular the youngest, oldest and female respondents

Q#: C2. How likely are you to make friends outside of your racial group? Base Total Respondents (206), Chinese/Malay/Indian (98/93/9) , 18-24/25-30/31-35 (68/88/50) *low base

Total Male Female 18-24 25-30 31-35 Chinese Malay Indian

26% 28% 25% 26% 31%18%

30% 26%11%

2%6%

1%

0%

29% 29% 28% 29% 22%40%

29% 32%11%

39% 33% 43% 44%

34%

40%

35% 35% 78%

-3%-8%

-2%-5%

0%

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Very unlikely

Somewhat unlikely

Very unlikely

Low base

Racial stereotyping still existsMost but less than 50% believe that all races pursue all types of professions. Finance and business is largely pegged to Chinese, Medicine and Law to Indians and Social sciences to Malays.

• Perception of race on profession in Malaysia

The perception of ambition for profession are different by race. Every race is associated with specific professions

49%39%

58% 49% 48% 40% 34%

5%7%

6%14% 14%

5%5%

21%

7%

17% 18% 12%45% 54%

37%Malays pursue this profession more than other races

Indians pursue this profession more than other races

Chinese pursue this profession more than other races

Everyone in Malaysia pursues this pro-fession regardless of their races

Don't know

Chinese is strongly associated with finance and

entrepreneurship professions while Indian with Medicine

and Law, Malays with Architecture and social

sciences

Only 1 in 5 audience think that “Everyone Pursues These Professions Regardless of Their Races” for all professions

Q#: C5b. In your opinion, which of the following statements best describe how people pursue these professions in Malaysia?Base Total Respondents (206)

A little more trust in people of own raceOnly 1 in 4 claimed that race does not matter when it comes to receiving/giving recommendations. However, people from the same race trust their own rather than someone from a different race.

• Same race product recommendation

Race does has a role in source of recommendations for products, only 1 in 4 claims that race does not

matter

34% 34% 35% 35% 39%24%

40%31%

11%

22% 20%29% 24% 18%

28% 27%13%

33%

25% 27% 20%31% 22%

24%

21%29%

44%

18% 19%16%

10% 22%

24%12%

27%

11%Very likely

Somewhat likely

Neutral

Unlikely, race does not matter

Q#: D3. How likely is it that you will buy a product based on the recommendation of a person of your race?Base Total Respondents (206), Believe/Nonbeliever (151/55, Chinese/Malay/Indian (98/93/9), 18-24/25-30/31-35 (68/88/50) *low base

Low

base

Top 2 Box 43% 46% 36% 41% 44% 48% 33% 56% 55%

Not only rose tinted view

Unity communications are largely appreciated from brands and the Government, however for those who do not believe Malaysia is united, a more realistic and pragmatic approach to unity is appreciated.

Does Malaysia have a common identity?

What potential common threads are there?

Common threads are hard to come by, however acceptance of this fact with the resilience to carry on is perhaps the uniting factor.

Acceptance of little commonality, perhaps is the commonality

Singular Malaysian Identity does not existPerhaps it’s time to acknowledge that a Malaysian identity is a mish mash of diverse races and that’s not a bad thing.

Initial frustrations

With common threads hard to find except a multiracial environment, Malaysians are quick to voice less desirable common traits: Lazy; whiners; inefficient etc.

Leads to strength in resilience

However initial frustration leads to the realisation that Malaysians are a hardy bunch with attributes of tolerance, resilience and ‘boleh-ness’ – The will to just get on with things, even if there are challenges…

‘Tolerant’Most respondents agree that Malaysians are overall tolerant of misgivings from wherever/whomever. A sense that whilst they

may not understand or agree, they will find a way to get on.

‘Empathetic’A sense of comfort within their own cultures, able to express

themselves culturally freely. Whilst many agree that situations can be improved, many also concede that things could be a lot

worse

Together, for themselvesInterestingly, all Malaysians agree on two things. Support for national sports champions and food! As long as the fruits of unity benefit them personally, Malaysians are more inclined to it. Lee Chong Wei and Nicol David are highly regarded by all kinds of Malaysians, as they are the only choice of worldclass sports champions that Malaysians can lay claim to. Likewise, food from different racial backgrounds are revered as they benefit individual stomachs!

• Celebrity preference ranking by race

Sports heroes have appeal across races, but entertainment media celebrity preferences tend to be divided along racial

lines

Q#: D5b. Please rank them by dragging and dropping them into order of preferenceBase Total Respondents (206), Chinese/Malay/Indian (98/93/9) *low base

Lee Chong Wei

Nicol David

Owen Yap

Jinny Boy

JJ & Ean

51%

12%

11%

5%

8%

19%

38%

6%

6%

6%

12%

9%

12%

10%

9%

82%

59%

29%

21%

23%

Rank 2 Rank 3 Column1

Lee Chong Wei

Nicol David

Neelofa

Awal Ashari

Maya Karin

38%

14%

12%

18%

10%

18%

23%

12%

11%

10%

13%

13%

17%

9%

11%

69%

50%

41%

38%

31%

Rank 2 Rank 3 Column1

Chinese Malay

Lee Chong WeiChinese

Badminton World no. 1

Nicol DavidIndian-Chinese

Squash World no. 1

Owen YapChinese

Newsreader and Emcee

JinnyBoyChinese

Radio DJ and YouTube star

JJ & EanEnglish-language

Radio DJs

NeelofaMalay

Actress and model

Awal AshariMalay

Actor and model

Maya KarinMalay

Actress and singer

• Race and food

Chinese are more likely to see Malaysian food as a mix of racial influences, while lower income Malays tend to see

Malaysian food as being best represented by Malay food.

Q#: C6a. Which of the following best represents Malaysian food?Base Total Respondents (206), Male/Female (83/123), Chinese/Malay/Indian (98/93/9) , Less than 51,600RM/above 51,600RM (59/147), 18-24/25-30/31-35 (68/88/50) *low base

78%

17%

6%

4%

A mix of all of the above

Malay

Chinese

Indian

78%

17%

6%

4%

A mix of all of the above

Malay

Chinese

Indian

-2

4

0

0

-9

13

-3

0

-11-6-6 29

Total Male Female

Total Below 51,600RM

Above 51,600RM

-2

-1

3

3

-3

3

-3

-2

6

-7

2

-2

3

-7

1

0

-10

12

-3

-1

4

-5

1

0

Low base

18-24 25-30 31-35

Chinese Malay Indian

8

-12

4

-3

What can this mean for business?

The easy answer: Promote a uniting concept that benefits the

individualThe low-hanging fruit for brands to communicate on a national level is to leverage common assets that appeal across races because each race benefits. i.e. Sports and food can garner national appeal, however film and/or music are more subjective and may marginalise certain groups.

Tackling unity:Sugar-coating is not as powerful as a revelation

Whilst racial harmony communications are appreciated, they do not work as hard as those that deal with unity in its real form. A happy and rosy picture of harmony does not necessarily capture the resilience of Malaysians or progressive call to action. Less a melting pot, but a pot with very distinct parts; Different and distinct cultures living side by side with little assimilation between them is Malaysia’s unique point of difference.

Better still, start a whole new conversation:Solidify and promote the common national sentiment of resilience and tolerance

Brands can often help form the national cultural narrative. Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ is testament to the USA’s ‘Land of opportunity’ mentality. In Malaysia, brands not only have the opportunity to support a common national identity but actually help build, solidify and cement one.

Malaysian Identity is a Work in Progress.Can you help build it?