Fewer Filipinos believe it is ‘better to give than receive’ gifts on Christmas — SWS

MANILA, Philippines — This yuletide season, fewer Filipinos believe that it is “better to give than receive,”  a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey reveals.

The poll conducted from Dec. 16-19 showed that 74 percent of Filipinos said it is better to give gifts this Christmas season, a seven-point drop from the record-high 81 percent who said the same last year.

SWS said this is a “new record-low” that surpassed the previous record of 75 percent in the years 2006, 2014, and 2016.

The polling body said the 7-point decline could be attributed to the 16-point drop in the Visayas, 8-point drop in Balance Luzon, and 1-point drop in Metro Manila, combined with the 3-point increase in Mindanao.

SWS noted that the proportion of Filipinos who said it is “better to give” Christmas gifts was highest in Metro Manila at 84 percent, followed by Balance Luzon (76 percent), Mindanao (72 percent), and the Visayas  (67 percent).

The proportion of those who say it is “better to give” Christmas gifts dropped by 16 points in the Visayas, from its record-high 83 percent in 2017 to a record-low 67 percent this year.

Meanwhile, it fell by eight points in Balance Luzon, from the record-high 84 percent last year to a record-low 76 percent in 2018.

SWS also noted that the Filipinos’ preference for giving gifts declined in all socioeconomic classes.

The proportion of Filipinos who said it is “better to give” Christmas gifts dropped by 18 points in class ABC, from the record-high 95 percent in 2017 to a record-low 77 percent in 2018.

It also fell by 6 points in class D, from an all-time high 81 percent in 2017 to a record-low 75 percent in 2018.

Meanwhile, the gift-giving preference of Filipinos declined by 6 points in class E, from an all-time high 78 percent in 2017 to 72 percent this year.

The polling body also pointed out that the preference for giving gifts dropped in all age groups, except among the 25-34-year-olds.

The proportion of Filipinos who said it is “better to give” Christmas gifts dropped by 12 points among the 45-54-year-olds, from 84 percent in 2017 to a record-low 72 percent in 2018.

The preference also dropped by 10 points among 35-44-year-olds, from 84 percent in 2017 to 74 percent this year.

It declined by nine points among 18-24-year-olds, from 84 percent in 2017 to 75 percent in 2018.

The proportion of Filipinos who said it is “better to receive” gifts declined by four points among the 55-year-olds and above, from 78 percent in 2017, but it remained at 77 percent among the 25-34-year-olds from 2017 to 2018.

The Fourth Quarter SWS survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults all over the country, with a sampling error margins of ±2.6 percent in national percentages.

The respondents were asked: “In your opinion, is it better to give or to receive this coming Christmas?” They were asked to choose one answer from two choices — “It is better to give” or “It is better to receive.” /ee