OFWs have more leisure time, gadgets - survey

MANILA, Philippines - Families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have more leisure activities and own more gadgets compared to other families, according to market research consulting firm Synergy Business Consultancy.

It noted that OFW families are more inclined to eat out, socialize, travel, go to the mall, purchase gadgets and do re-creational activities, as well as allot budget for charitable acts.

“Because they have higher purchase capacity, more of those with OFW families engage in certain leisure activities compared with those without. For example, 43 percent of respondents with OFW relatives go malling while only 32 percent of respondents without OFW relatives had this as one of their leisure activities. The only similar behavior observed is media consumption,” Synergy managing director Germaine Reyes said.

The research noted that both groups like to watch TV, listen to the radio, and read newspapers.

OFW families are fond of eating out whether in fastfoods or fine dining restaurants, comprising 54 percent and 19 percent of respondents, respectively. The malling activities engaged in by OFW families are shopping or window shopping (43 percent) and watching movies (31 percent).

Social activities are also in the list, which include social drinking (29 percent) videoke (26 percent), going to parties or social gatherings (17 percent), bar hopping (eight percent), and going dancing in discos or clubs (five percent).

Travelling is more common to OFW families (16 percent) as only seven percent of respondents without OFW relatives noted this as one of their leisure activities. Moreover, recreational activities such as going to the gym, playing musical instruments, playing board games, going to the salon or spa, playing video games, or engaging in sports are popular with OFW families.

OFW families also allot budget for charitable acts such as participating in the parish and community civic activities, as well as other religious activities.

Gadget ownership with OFW families is prevalent compared to those without, particularly with owning computers or laptops. Thirty-five percent of OFW families have a computer or laptop while only 11 percent of families without OFW relatives own this gadget at home.

“There is a higher incidence of gadget ownership among OFW families, including mobile phones, computers and digital cameras, among others. It may be that since computers are communication tools, they are used more readily by the families of OFWs to stay in touch. Thus, ownership of computer peripherals seem to be higher as well,” Reyes added.

The survey involved 1,000 households in Metro Manila and the interviews were done from September to October 2010.

In Metro Manila, two in every five households have an OFW immediate household member or relative, which is represented by 929,000 households or 4.7 million household members. In terms of socio-economic profile, 54 percent or majority of OFW families interviewed belong to the D class.

Meanwhile, only nine percent of families with OFW relatives are in the ABC class, compared with four percent of families without an immediate OFW household member or relative.

According to Reyes, this is a higher-than-usual representation of the ABC households of OFW families compared and may indicate that having OFW relatives can potentially improve their ability to go up the socio-economic ladder.

“This is because close to six in 10 families receive remittances from OFW family member or relatives and this proportion is much higher compared with class E, thus, possibly augmenting their income capacity and/or disposable income,” Reyes explained.

In Synergy’s survey, 64 percent of families in the ABC class receive remittances from their family members or relatives; 66 percent for lower C class; 56 percent for class D; and only 40 percent for class E.