A new all-time high 96% of adult Filipinos are entering 2018 with hope rather than with fear, according to the Fourth Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey conducted on December 8-16, 2017, surpassing the previous record of 95% achieved in 2002, 2011, and 2016.
- 46% of Pinoys made New Year’s resolutions for 2017
- 18% say at least most of their New Year’s resolutions have been, or will be, fulfilled
- Higher New Year hope among those who expected a happy Christmas
On the other hand, 4% say they will enter the New Year with fear, the lowest since the 4% in 2011. This is one point below the 5% in 2016.
Hope for the New Year has always been high, starting at 87% when SWS first surveyed it in 2000. It went to 88% in 2001, and reached 95% in 2002 before easing to 90% in 2003, 81% in 2004, and 85% in 2005. It ranged from 91% to 92% from 2006 to 2008, before falling to 89% in 2009. It recovered to 93% in 2010, and has since then been at 90s levels, reaching a record-high 96% in 2017.
46% made 2017 New Year’s resolutions
The December 2017 survey also found that 46% answered YES to the question, “Last year, did you make a New Year’s Resolution or a list of things you want to do or change in 2017? (Noong nakaraang taon, kayo po ba ay gumawa ng isang New Year’s Resolution o listahan ng mga gustong gawin o baguhin ngayong 2017?).”
The proportion of those who made New Year’s resolutions in 2017 was highest in Mindanao at 53%, followed by Metro Manila at 47%, Visayas at 45%, and Balance Luzon at 43% [Chart 3].
It tended to be higher among the upper classes than the lower classes: it was highest among classes ABC at 56%, followed by class D, or the masa, at 47%, and class E at 42%.
It also tended to be higher among those with more years of formal schooling: it was highest among college graduates at 53%, followed by high school graduates at 50%, elementary school graduates at 42%, and non-elementary graduates at 40%.
Some 18% say at least most of their New Year’s resolutions have been, or will be, fulfilled
Of the 46% who made New Year’s resolutions in 2017, 6% said all or almost all of their New Year’s resolutions have been or will be fulfilled, 12% said most of them, 23% said a few, and 4% said almost none or none. The remaining 1% did not give an answer.
The proportion of those who reported that at least most (% all or almost all and % most) of their New’s Year’s resolution have been or will be fulfilled was highest in the Visayas at 22%, followed by Mindanao and Metro Manila, both at 20%, and Balance Luzon at 17%.
It was highest among classes ABC at 25%, followed by class E at 19%, and class D at 18%.
By educational level, it was highest among college graduates at 26%, followed by high school graduates at 20%, elementary school graduates at 16%, and non-elementary school graduates at 14%.
New Year hope widespread in all areas
New Year hope continues to be widespread in all areas: it was highest in Balance Luzon at 97%, followed by Metro Manila at 96%, Mindanao at 95%, and Visayas at 95%.
The 1-point rise in the overall New Year hope from 2016 to 2017 was due to increases in the Visayas and Metro Manila, combined with steady high scores in Balance Luzon.
New Year hope stayed at 97% in Balance Luzon, an all-time high score for this area that was first achieved in 2013.
It stayed at 95% in Mindanao, also an all-time high for this area that surpassed the previous record of 94% in 2011. Except in 2003 and 2004, New Year hope has customarily been lower in Mindanao compared to other areas.
It rose by 1 point in Metro Manila, from 95% in 2016 to 96% in 2017. This is the highest since the 96% in 2011.
It rose by 3 points in the Visayas, from 92% in 2016 to 95% in 2017. This is the highest since the 96% in 2011.
New Year hope high in all classes
Hopefulness for the New Year remained high across socio-economic classes.
It rose by 1 point among class D, from 95% in 2016 to 96% in 2017. This is the highest in 15 years, since the all-time high 97% in 2002.
It also rose by 1 point among class E, from 93% in 2016 to 94% in 2017, an all-time high for this area that was first achieved in 2013.
It stayed widespread among classes ABC, although down by 2 points from 99% in 2016 to 97% in 2017. Except for the 83% in 2000, 73% in 2005, and 88% in 2007, New Year hope among classes ABCs has been at 90s and above, reaching as high as 100% in 2012.
New Year hope among those who expected a happy Christmas is greater than New Year hope among those who expected a sad Christmas.
Compared to last year, New Year hope rose by 2 points among those who expected a happy Christmas, from 96% in 2016 to 98% in 2017 [Chart 8].
However, it fell by 3 points among those who expected a neither happy nor sad Christmas, from 93% in 2016 to 90% in 2017.
It fell by 4 points among those who expected a sad Christmas, from 92% in 2016 to 88% in 2017.
The SWS December 8-16, 2017 Survey findings on Christmas happiness was reported on December 23, 2017.
Survey Background
The December 2017 Social Weather Survey was conducted from December 8-16, 2017 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao).
The area estimates were weighted by Philippine Statistics Authority medium-population projections for 2017 to obtain the national estimates.
The Social Weather Survey items on New Year hope and New Year’s resolution are non-commissioned. They are included on SWS’s own initiative and released as a public service.
SWS employs its own staff for questionnaire design, sampling, fieldwork, data-processing, and analysis, and does not outsource any of its survey operations.
