More Filipinos expect a ‘happy Christmas’—SWS

Will this Christmas be the happiest for Filipinos?

The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, released on Christmas Eve, showed 72 percent of Filipinos thought it would be a happy Christmas.

This is the highest “Christmas happiness score in 22 years,” according to the opinion poll body.

Of those surveyed, 77 percent said, “it is better to give,” while only 20 percent said, “it is better to receive.”

The poll, conducted from Dec. 5 to 8 among 1,200 respondents, showed that those who said, “it is better to give,” were more likely to say that they expected a happy Christmas.

Expectations this year increased by five points each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. However, it declined by two points for the rest of Luzon.

Among socio-economic classes, 72 percent from class E (up by 7 points from 65 percent in 2014) and 72 percent from class D (same as in 2014) said they expected a happy Christmas.

However, the happiness score dropped by 5 points this year for those in class ABC. Last year, a record high 81 percent from class ABC said they expected a happy Christmas.

Among age groups, expectations were higher among the range of 18 to 24 years old, rising to 82 percent from only 74 percent last year.

Those who agreed were 74 percent among the 25 to 34 years old (up from 72 percent in 2014), 70 percent among those 35 to 44 years old, 66 percent for the rang elf 45 to 54 years old, and 73 percent from those 55 years old and above (from 71 percent in 2014).

The survey has sampling error margins of plus or minus three points for national percentages and plus or minus six points each for Metro Manila, rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Below are the other results of the survey: