MANILA, Philippines - Seven in 10 Filipinos expect a happy Christmas this year, a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.
The expectation of a happy Christmas improved to 71 percent in 2014, after being flat at 62 percent to 64 percent for 10 years since 2004, the pollster said.
Only six percent expect a sad Christmas and 23 percent say it will be neither happy nor sad.
The SWS poll, conducted from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, used face-to-face interviews of 1,800 adults nationwide.
Last year, 62 percent of adult respondents said they expect a happy Christmas.
Expectation of a sad Christmas was down by three points to six percent this year from nine percent in 2013, it said.
From 2004 to 2013, sadness during Christmas ranged from a low of 11 percent to an all-time high 16 percent, the SWS said.
Compared to 2013, those expecting a happy Christmas rose in 2014 in all areas except in Mindanao, the SWS said.
The expectation of happy Christmas, it said, remains higher in the provincial areas than in Metro Manila.
It is 64 percent in Metro Manila, 71 percent in Mindanao, 72 percent in the Visayas and 72 percent in balance Luzon.
In Metro Manila, it improved by 17 points to 64 percent from second-lowest 47 percent in 2013.
“Happiness with Christmas is usually relatively lower in Metro Manila than in the other areas,” the SWS noted.
On the other hand, those expecting a sad Christmas in Metro Manila declined to seven percent this year.
In balance Luzon, 72 percent of respondents look forward to a happy Christmas this year, up by 11 points from 61 percent in 2013.
Those who expect a sad Christmas dropped to a record-low three percent from 10 percent in 2013.
In the Visayas, expectation of a happy Christmas rebounded by 15 points, from second-lowest 57 percent in 2013 to 72 percent this year.
Expectation of a sad Christmas in the Visayas slightly declined to eight percent this year from the second-highest 11 percent in 2013.
The expectation of a happy Christmas in Mindanao declined by six points, from 77 percent in 2013 to 71 percent in 2014.
“Except in 2012, expectation of a happy Christmas has customarily been higher in Mindanao than in the other three areas. It was all-time high 89 percent in 2002,” it said.
The expectation of a sad Christmas in Mindanao doubled, from four percent in 2013 to eight percent in 2014.
The SWS also found that expectation of happy Christmas is slightly higher among males and the youth.
In 2014, 74 percent of males are expecting a happy Christmas, slightly higher than the 68 percent among females who are also expecting a happy Christmas.
Expectation of a happy Christmas is also higher among the youth [18-24] (74 percent), the intermediate youth [25-24] (72 percent), and those aged 55 and above (71 percent) than those who are aged 35-44 (70 percent) and 45-54 (66 percent).
‘It’s better to give…’
The survey also found 75 percent of Filipinos say it is better to give this coming Christmas, while 23 percent say it is better to receive.
The percentages of those who say that it is better to give than to receive this Christmas are high across all areas and socio-demographic groups, the SWS said.
A majority of respondents in Metro Manila (80 percent) and in balance Luzon (81 percent) say it is better to give than to receive this Christmas, higher compared to 69 percent in the Visayas and 68 percent in Mindanao.