SWS: 95% of Filipinos face New Year with hope

Ninety-five percent of adult Filipinos are entering the New Year with hope, according to the latest poll released by Social Weather Stations (SWS) on Friday.

This was two percentage points higher than the 93% recorded in 2021, and it was also comparable to the pre-pandemic figure of 96% in 2019.

Five percent of the 1,200 respondents said they would enter 2023 with fear, down two points from 7% in 2020 and 2021.

The survey, conducted from December 10–14, found 73% of adult Filipinos expected Christmas to be happy, while 7% expected it to be sad, and 19% expected it to be neither happy nor sad.

"Hope for the coming New Year has always been higher among those who expected a happy Christmas than [among] those who expected a sad Christmas," the SWS said.

The survey also showed that 74% of the respondents vowed to better themselves in the coming year, 20% said they would not change anything, and the remaining 6% did not give an answer.

Of those planning to change for the better in the coming year, at least 31% stated resolutions related to health, such as having a healthier diet and exercising more or being more active.

Twenty-seven percent plan to focus on social and attitudinal wellness, including having more patience and avoiding stress, and 16% plan to focus on their finances, such as finding a job and saving money. 

The survey firm said hope for the New Year started at 87% when the SWS first asked the question at the end of 2000.

"It was in the 90s at the end of 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010 to 2022. It was in the 80s at the end of 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, and 2009," the SWS said. 

The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews and had sampling error margins of ±2.5% for national percentages and ±5.7% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.  —VBL, GMA Integrated News