SINGAPOREANS are becoming increasingly materialistic, a survey commissioned by the Straits Times suggested today.

Nine in 10 respondents said they thought Singaporeans were materialistic, with seven believing the desire for material goods had increased from five years ago.

Six out of 10 said their material possessions reflected their status, according to the survey which covered 605 citizens and permanent residents.

The Straits Times also quoted Ooi Giok Ling, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), as saying the results confirmed earlier findings by the institute.

"Materialism is just a negative form of Singaporeans' self-expression, and it does seem to be the trend," Ooi said.

"This is in line with a recent IPS survey in which most of our respondents said Singaporeans were class conscious and getting more so," she added.

Tiny Singapore, which emerged from being a tropical backwater to one of Asia's wealthiest nations in little more than 30 years, has among the world's highest living standards, with per capita income at S$40,000 (US$23,255) annually.

However, the Straits Times said while the respondents thought their countrymen were materialistic, they did not view themselves as such.

Bank officer Christopher de Souza told the newspaper: "People here don't seem to want to keep anything that's old, like old mobile phones. But I don't see myself as one of them -- I have restaurant dinners only on special occasions."

More than 90 percent of the respondents also said they put morality before money.