A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey found that 73 percent of adult Filipinos are expecting this year’s Christmas celebration to be “happy.”
The survey results released on Friday, Dec. 23 also found that 7 percent of Filipinos are expecting this year’s Christmas celebration to be “sad,” while 19 percent are expecting it to be “neither happy nor sad.”
“The 73 percent expecting a happy Christmas is eight points above the 65 percent in 2021, and 23 points above the record-low 50 percent in 2020. However, it is still six points below the pre-pandemic level of 79 percent in 2019,” SWS said in a statement.
The expectation of a happy Christmas was a record-high 82 percent when first surveyed by SWS in 2002.
Meanwhile, the 7 percent that are expecting a sad Christmas hardly moved from 8 percent in 2021.
It is eight points below the record-high 15 percent in 2020.
SWS noted that those expecting a happy Christmas rose to majorities in all areas—highest in the Visayas at 78 percent (from 68 percent in 2021), followed by Mindanao at 75 percent (from 60 percent), Balance Luzon at 71 percent (from 67 percent), and Metro Manila at 71 percent (from 61 percent).
49% say Christmas happier now than in pre-pandemic times
“The December 2022 survey found 49 percent saying Christmas is happier now than before the start of the Covid-19 crisis, 28 percent saying it is the same now as before, and 21 percent saying Christmas is not as happy now as before,” SWS said.
“Compared to 2021, those saying Christmas is happier now than in pre-pandemic time rose from 26 percent, while those saying it is not as happy now as before fell sharply from 42 percent,” it added.
The percentage of those who consider Christmas to be happier now than during pre-pandemic times is highest in the Visayas at 61 percent, followed by Mindanao at 49 percent, Balance Luzon at 46 percent, and Metro Manila at 44 percent.
Meanwhile, those who consider Christmas to be not as happy now as the pre-pandemic times are highest in Metro Manila at 30 percent, followed by Balance Luzon at 24 percent, Mindanao at 16 percent, and the Visayas at 15 percent.
61% attending in-person gatherings
The SWS survey also found that 61 percent of Filipinos will attend in-person gatherings with family and friends from other homes, while 38 percent said they will not be doing so.
“Compared to 2021, those saying they will attend in-person gatherings with family and friends from other homes rose from 46 percent, while those saying they will not be doing so fell from 51 percent,” SWS said.
84% not traveling to visit family, friends
The survey also found that 84 percent are saying they will not be traveling to visit their family and friends this Christmas and 15 percent saying they will do so.
SWS said that this is similar to 2021, when 84 percent said they would not be traveling to visit their family and friends, and 13 percent said they would do so.
The SWS survey was conducted from Dec. 10 to 14, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 respondents nationwide.