Filipinos consider good health, money the best gifts for Christmas—SWS

MANILA, Philippines—Three out of five Filipinos look forward to a happy Christmas this year, while good health, money and family togetherness top the list of most-sought-after gifts among Filipinos this season, according to a survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The Fourth Quarter 2012 Social Weather Survey, conducted on Dec. 8-11, found that 64 percent of Filipinos expected this year’s Christmas to be happy, while 9 percent expected it to be sad, and 26 percent expected it to be neither happy nor sad.

Across areas and socioeconomic classes, majority of Filipinos expect a happy Christmas—71 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila, 66 percent in the Visayas, 58 percent in Metro Manila and 52 percent in Mindanao.

Eighty percent of Class ABC, 67 percent of Class D and 53 percent of Class E shared the same sentiment.

“Compared to 2011, expectations of a happy Christmas rose in Balance Luzon and Visayas, but fell in Mindanao. It hardly changed in Metro Manila,” SWS said in a press statement.

The pollster noted that in Mindanao, the proportion of those who expected a happy Christmas fell by 17 points—from 69 percent last year to 52 percent this year, a record low.

“From 2002 to 2011, expectations of a happy Christmas have customarily been high in Mindanao compared to the other three areas, ranging from 66 percent in 2002 to all-time high 89 percent in 2002,” SWS said.

The survey also asked respondents, “What gift would you most like to receive this Christmas?”

To this question, 25 percent said they would like to receive the gift of “good health,” 18 percent would like “money,” while 14 percent said they would like their “family to be together this Christmas.”

Across areas, 34 percent in the Visayas, 30 percent in Mindanao, 22 percent in Balance Luzon, and 15 percent in Metro Manila said they would like to receive “good health” this Christmas, a gift also sought by 39 percent of Class ABC, 26 percent of Class D and 20 percent of Class E.

Eighteen percent in Balance Luzon, 18 percent in the Visayas, 17 percent in Mindanao and 15 percent in Metro Manila wished to receive “money,” as did 22 percent of Class ABC, 18 percent of Class D, and 15 percent of Class E.

“Family togetherness,” on the other hand, was the gift of choice for 18 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila, 14 percent in Metro Manila, 10 percent in Mindanao, and 8 percent in the Visayas, and 14 percent of people in Class D, 13 percent in Class E and 13 percent in Class ABC.

Other gifts mentioned in the survey were house and lot (6 percent), food to celebrate with (5 percent), jobs/livelihood (5 percent), gadgets/home appliances (4 percent), clothing/shoes (3 percent), peace (3 percent), car/vehicle (2 percent), better life in general (2 percent), happiness and peace of mind (2 percent) and gifts for own children (1 percent).

The survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.