More than half of Malaysians believe the country is moving in the right direction, although cost of living remains the dominant concern, according to a regional survey by international research firm Milieu.
The survey found that 51% of Malaysian respondents felt the country was on the right path, placing Malaysia ahead of Singapore at 41% and Thailand at 25%.
Vietnam recorded the highest level of optimism among the six Southeast Asian markets surveyed, with 71% of respondents saying their country was moving in the right direction, while the Philippines recorded the lowest at 20%.
The Milieu Social Issues survey involved 3,000 respondents across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, with 500 respondents surveyed in each country between July 23 and July 30, 2026.
Across the region, only 38% of respondents felt their countries were either clearly improving or gradually making progress on issues that mattered most to them.
Milieu said perceptions of national progress were closely influenced by domestic conditions, particularly the cost of living, employment opportunities and trust in government.
Cost of living remained the leading social concern across Southeast Asia, with 42% of respondents ranking it among their top three concerns.
In Malaysia, 50% of respondents cited cost of living as a major social concern, behind Singapore at 65% but ahead of Thailand at 42%.
When respondents were asked to identify the main issues facing their respective countries, cost of living again ranked highest, with 57% of respondents regionally identifying it as a key concern.
Malaysia also recorded 57% on this measure, while Singapore and Thailand each registered 68%.
Employment was another major issue for Malaysians, with 30% citing jobs and employment opportunities as a concern, while 28% identified government integrity and accountability.
The survey also found differences across age groups. Cost of living was the leading concern for all age groups aged 25 and above.
Among Generation Z respondents aged 16 to 24, however, corruption and government accountability ranked slightly ahead of cost of living, at 33% and 32%, respectively.
Milieu Southeast Asia chief executive officer Cindy Pang said that while countries across the region face many of the same challenges, people’s experiences and expectations of change vary significantly from one market to another.
She said the findings underscored the importance of assessing public sentiment through individual country conditions rather than relying solely on broader regional trends.
