Aaron said his ministry would also conduct a survey to gauge the level of patriotism among civil servants, adding that the findings of both studies would serve as benchmarks for its policies.

“They will ensure that every policy we come up with is data-driven and able to yield real impact towards ensuring social stability and sustainable national unity,” he said in a written parliamentary reply.

He was responding to Jonathan Yasin (GRS-Ranau) who asked if the ministry would study the apparently waning unity among Malaysia’s plural society.

Aaron said his ministry had the national unity index to gauge unity and harmony among Malaysians, with the index improving from 0.567 in 2018 to 0.629 in 2022, which he added was “good”.

“The communications ministry also holds an annual survey on the effectiveness of patriotism and nationhood programmes.

“It most recently found that these programmes reached 91% effectiveness, proving that efforts to foster patriotism among Malaysians have increasingly been paying off.”