I think Singapore's problem is that most of the feedback people hear is from people just on short stopovers and understandbly they got their feedback from others on stopovers ...... so it's understandable that the majority don't "get it".
I must admit I'm either thinking about food ... and tiger beer .. most of the time or eating it. My last main meal on my last trip was at Newtons and was under £2.00 .......
People are programmed to notice differences when they see them but often don't notice things that "aren't there". One thing I noticed on my last trip is the lack of impatience on the roads and the almost complete lack of people using their car horns. Once you notice it .... it's eery because you get use to the sound of horns in cities.