(AP Photo)
MANILA, Philippines — More Filipinos are welcoming 2024 with hope and not fear, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
In a survey conducted from December 8 to 11, 1,200 adult Filipinos were asked, “Ang darating na taon ba ay inyong sasalubungin nang may pag-asa o may pangamba?”
(Will you welcome the new year with hope or fear?)
The survey showed that 96 percent of Filipinos will welcome 2024 with hope this year – a figure higher compared to previous years.
“This is a point above the 95 percent in 2022 and the highest since the pre-pandemic 96 percent in 2019,” the SWS said in its report on Thursday.
The research institution noted that hope for the New Year rose slightly in Metro Manila and Mindanao at 97 percent and 96 percent, respectively.
In 2022, 93 percent of respondents from Metro Manila and Mindanao said they will welcome 2023 with hope.
The findings showed that hopeful Filipinos stayed at 97 percent in Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside of Metro Manila) this year, while falling slightly to 93 percent from 95 percent in the Visayas.
The SWS likewise noted a rise in the New Year hope percentage among adults who attended school.
“Compared to the end of 2022, New Year hope rose slightly across educational levels: from 92 percent to 93 percent among non-elementary graduates, from 95 percent to 97 percent among elementary graduates, from 95 percent to 96 percent among junior high school graduates, and from 96 percent to 98 percent among college graduates,” the SWS explained.
Meanwhile, the same findings showed that three percent of Filipinos would enter 2024 with fear, a decrease from last year’s five percent.
The SWS said that for this survey, more than half or 52 percent of its participants are from urban areas while 48 percent re from rural areas.
The SWS had interviewed 300 adult participants each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
On December 12, the research institution found that 48 percent of Filipinos think that their quality of life will improve in 2024.