THE typical Singaporean has no problems having a Prime Minister, a policeman or teacher from another race.

But race becomes an issue when it comes to matters of the heart.

Ask if he would marry someone of another race and he is likely to blanch at the thought, according to a new study on how far race and religion affects the way Singaporeans interact with one another.

For instance, 99 per cent of Chinese said they would marry someone of their own race. But only 31 per cent approved of marrying a Malay or Indian.

When it came to picking a Prime Minister, all said they would accept a Chinese, with 91 per cent and 94 per cent accepting a Malay and Indian one respectively.

Still, the authors - Norman Vasu and Yolanda Chin of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies - say the findings sugest that inter-racial and inter-religious harmony here is robust.

'It shows that Singaporeans are mature enough not to let race and religion affect their coming together in the public sphere,' said Assistant Professor Vasu.

A total of 1,824 Singaporeans were polled as part of the study, done earlier this year.