The Fourth Quarter 2021 Social Weather Survey, conducted from December 12-16, 2021, had three items discussing Valentine’s Day. In this context, to the question, “If you could have only one of the following, which would you pick: money, health, or love?” 57% chose health, 31% chose love, and 11% chose money.
Compared to December 2019, before the pandemic, preference for health fell by 13 points from 70%.
On the other hand, preference for love rose by 8 points from 23%, while preference for money rose by 4 points from 7%.
Two other questions about love were asked in the December 2021 survey.
84% prefer brains over body
The survey found 84% saying they are more attracted to a person’s brains than body, and 15% saying the opposite.
The percentage of those who prefer brains over body is 3 points above the 81% in December 2019 and December 2002.
54% are very happy with their love life; 18% say they have no love life
The December 2021 survey also found 53% saying their love life is very happy (napakasaya), 28% saying it could be happier (sana mas masaya pa), and 18% saying they do not have a love life (walang love life o buhay-pag-ibig).
Compared to December 2019, those very happy with their love life hardly changed from 54%, while those saying their love life could be happier fell by 4 points from 32%, and those saying they have no love life rose by 4 points from 14%.
Since 2002, around half of adult Filipinos were recorded to have a very happy love life, ranging from the record-low 46% in 2004 to the record-high 59% in 2011.
On the other hand, those saying their love lives could be happier range from 29% to 44%, while those with no love life range from 9% to 18%.
When forced to choose, more women than men choose health over love and money
Overall, 60% of women prefer health over love and money, 6 points higher than the 54% among men with the same view.
Compared to December 2019, however, preference for health over love and money fell among both women and men.
It fell by 12 points from 72% among women and by 13 points from 67% among men.
On the other hand, preference for love over health and money rose by 9 points among women, from 20% to 29%, and by 7 points among men, from 26% to 34%.
At the same time, preference for money over health and love rose by 4 points among women, from 7% to 11%, and by 6 points among men, from 6% to 12%.
Preference for health over love and money is highest among women with live-in partners
The percentage of those who prefer health over love and money is highest among women with live-in partners (68%), followed by single women (63%) and married women (56%).
Among men, preference for health over love and money is highest among those who are single (58%), followed by those with a live-in partner (54%) and those who are married (52%).
Compared to December 2019, however, the percentage of those who prefer health over love and money declined among both sexes across civil status.
It fell by 20 points from 76% among married women, by 4 points from 72% among women with live-in partners, and by 2 points from 65% among single women.
It fell by 25 points from 79% among men with live-in partners, by 12 points from 70% among single men, and by 11 points from 63% among married men.
Among both men and women, preference for love over love and money has no clear pattern in terms of age.
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