The national Social Weather Survey of December 8-11, 2023, found 73% of adult Filipinos expecting this coming Christmas to be happy (masaya), 6% expecting it to be sad (malungkot), and 21% expecting it to be neither happy nor sad.
The 73% expecting a happy Christmas is the same as in 2022 and 23 points above the record-low 50% in 2020. It is still 6 points below the pre-pandemic level of 79% in 2019.
The expectation of a happy Christmas was a record-high 82% when first surveyed by SWS in 2002. It fell to 77% in 2003 and dropped to a 62-69% range from 2004 to 2013 before it rose to a 71-79% range from 2014 to 2019. It fell to a record-low 50% in 2020 before rising to 65% in 2021 and 73% in 2022 and 2023.
On the other hand, 6% expect a sad Christmas, hardly moving from 7% in 2022 and 8% in 2021. However, it is 5 points below the record-high 15% in 2020.
The expectation of a sad Christmas was customarily at single-digit levels, ranging from 2% to 9%. It reached double-digits only in 2004, 2009, 2011, and 2020, ranging from 10% to 15%.
Grouping the responses to the open-ended question, “As Christmas and the end of the year approaches, may I know what one or two things are you most thankful for in your life right now?,” the December 2023 survey found 51% most thankful for Good health, 29% for Family, and 16% for Being alive. Respondents were allowed to give up to two answers.
73% of adult Filipinos expect a happy Christmas, the same as 2022
Following the top three responses were Job/Career/Income (10%), Food to eat (8%), Coping with daily hardships (8%), Prosperity (5%), All the blessings (3%), Education (3%), Peace and safety (3%), and God (2%).
Obtaining 1% were responses related to Lovelife/Spouse, Motorcycle/Vehicle, Surviving an illness or surgery, Happy life, House, Financial support, Having no worries or problems, and Material things.
Less than 1% answered Being able to help others (0.3%), while the rest of the other responses consisted of 1%. The remaining 2% did not give an answer.
For 2023, those expecting a happy Christmas were highest in the Visayas at 78%, followed by Mindanao at 74%, Balance Luzon at 70%, and Metro Manila at 72% [Chart 2, Table 3].
Compared to 2022, the expectation of a happy Christmas stayed at 78% in the Visayas, while it hardly changed from 75% in Mindanao, 71% in Balance Luzon, and 71% in Metro Manila.
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