“In Visayas, the expectation of a happy Christmas declined to a new record-low 57 percent in 2013 as the expectation of a sad Christmas reached record-high 11 percent,” the SWS said in its poll.
Last Oct. 15, a magnitude-7.2 quake devastated Central Visayas, while super typhoon Yolanda devastated the Visayas last Nov. 8.
The SWS noted the expectation of a happy Christmas in Visayas declined by nine points, from 66 percent in 2012 to 57 percent in 2013.
Before to 2013, SWS said the lowest recorded expectation of a happy Christmas was 60 percent, in 2006.
“Conversely, the expectation of a sad Christmas in Visayas increased by four points, from 7 percent in 2012 to 11 percent in 2013,” the pollster said.
The survey was taken from Dec. 11-16. Face-to-face interviews were conducted among 1,550 adults, with sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for Visayas, and ±6% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon and Mindanao.
National numbers
Nationwide, the SWS said slightly more than three out of five Filipinos (62 percent) still expect a happy Christmas.
The 62-percent figure was a slight decline from the 64 percent in the fourth quarters of 2011 and 2012.
Also, nine percent of Filipinos expect a sad Christmas this year, while 28 percent expect it to be neither happy nor sad.
“The expectation of a happy Christmas was a high 82 percent when the series started in 2002. It declined to 77 percent in 2003, and fell to the sixties in the next six years: 64 percent in 2004, 62 percent in both 2005 and 2006, 64 percent in 2007, 63 percent in 2008, and 64 percent in 2009.”
Expectations of a happy Christmas went up to 69 percent in 2010, but declined to 64 percent in 2011 and 2012.
Regions
The SWS said expectations of a happy Christmas this year bounced back in Mindanao to 77 percent – up 25 points from a record-low 52 percent in 2012.
Expectations of a sad Christmas, meanwhile, declined by 10 points from 14 percent in 2012 to 4 percent in 2013.
“Except in 2012, expectation of a happy Christmas has customarily been higher in Mindanao than in the other three areas. It was all-time high 89 percent in 2002,” the SWS said.
But expectations of a happy Christmas were lower, 61 percent in Balance Luzon, 57 percent in the Visayas, and 47 percent in Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, expectations of a sad Christmas in Balance Luzon increased from 6 percent in 2012 to 10 percent in 2013.
Expectations of a happy Christmas in Metro Manila declined by 11 points, from 58 percent in 2012 to 47 percent in 2013 – the second-lowest recorded after the 45 percent in 2006.
Age groups
Expectations of a happy Christmas in 2013 is highest among the youth aged 18 to 24 (71 percent), SWS said.
It is 62 percent among the 25-34 age group, 59 percent in the 35-44 age group.
It is 60 percent in the 45-54 age group and 63 percent among the 55 and above age group.
Expectations of a happy Christmas are 63 percent among males and 61 percent among females. — DVM, GMA News
