72 percent of Filipinos still believe in soulmates—survey

MANILA, Philippines — Pinoys love love! 

From the highs of “kilig” and “ligaw,” to the lows of “hugot” and “TOTGA,” Filipinos embrace love in every stage and every situation. 

According to a new survey conducted by media service provider Netflix, when it comes to finding “The One,” 72 percent of Filipinos believe in soulmates… even those who said they are NBSB/NGSB (no boyfriend or girlfriend since birth).

The online survey covered 800 Filipino video streamers, aged 18 to 34, across Metro Manila, North and Central Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, to find out how they view love. And it turns out that a majority of Pinoys online (85 percent) say that love rules! 

Who says romance is dead? About 89 percent of Filipinos say that romance is very much alive in the Philippines, said the survey.

But let’s face it: when love rules, it can sometimes suck, too. About 68 percent of those in a relationship say they have found “The One,” but one in five Filipinos in a relationship also confess that they do not see their partners as their soulmates. And 65 percent say that they have been heartbroken by someone they did not even officially date. Ouch! 

When love sucks, 52 percent turn to friends and family for comfort, and 29 percent watch romantic movies and shows to nurse their broken heart. In fact, 63 percent prefer to laugh off the pain with comedies. “Sawi” or brokenhearted men go for action and sci-fi, while heartbroken ladies watch more romance and dramas.

But no matter what the state of the heart is, Pinoys just really love onscreen romance. A whopping 80 percent say romantic movies cheer them up when they are down, and 71 percent feel “kilig” when watching romantic films. 

Pinoys love to share the love, too: more than half of the respondents watch romance (53 percent) and rom-coms or romantic comedy flicks (55 percent) with “bae.” In fact, they love romance so much that two out of three Filipinos say they tend to compare their relationships with the ones they see onscreen.

When it comes to Netflix rom-coms, the top five rom-coms that Pinoys would want to find themselves in are (in particular order): “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” “The Kissing Booth,” “The Perfect Date,” “Isn’t It Romantic” and “Set It Up.”