Almost 9 in 10 adults hopeful in entering new year
Nearly half (44 percent) of Filipino adults expect their quality of life to improve over the next 12 months, a November survey by the Social Weather Stations showed.
At least 89 percent of adult Filipinos are also entering the New Year with hope rather than fear, SWS said.
While nearly half of the survey respondents expressed optimism, 38 percent said they believe their lot in life will remain the same (“No Change”), while only eight percent said they think it will worsen (“Pessimists”).
Personal optimism remained notably high across major regions, SWS said.
In Mindanao, it increased by 4 points, rising from +31 in September to +35 last month. In Balance Luzon, optimism improved from very high to excellent, gaining 2 points from +38 to +40.
Meanwhile, in Metro Manila, optimism declined slightly, down by 3 points from +39 to +36. In the Visayas, it remained very high but fell by 4 points, dropping from +33 to +29.
The survey also revealed that Net Personal Optimism remained very high in rural areas, increasing by 2 points from +34 to +36, while it moved from +36 to +37 in urban areas.
Additionally, the data showed that Net Optimism tends to decline with age.
SWS:…
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As of November 2025, optimism was highest among 18- to 24-year-olds at an excellent +54, followed by 25- to 34-year-olds at +41 (excellent), 35- to 44-year-olds at +39 (very high), 45- to 54-year-olds at +34 (very high), and those 55 years and older at +28 (high).
The November 2025 survey also found that 29 percent of Filipino adults feel their quality of life is better than it was twelve months ago (referred to by SWS as “Gainers”), 36 percent believe it has worsened (“Losers”), and 34 percent say it is the same (“Unchanged”).
The SWS survey likewise showed most Filipinos are thankful for good health this holiday season as in previous years.
At least 45 percent of respondents said they were thankful for good health during this Christmas and New Year.
The research included an open-ended question where respondents could provide up to two answers regarding what they were thankful for.
Around 29 percent of the respondents said they were thankful for the family, while another 28 percent were grateful just to be alive.
Meanwhile, 10 percent said they were thankful to God.
Additional responses include being thankful for having food to eat (six percent), being able to cope with daily hardships (five percent), job or career (four percent), happy life (three percent), prosperity two percent), education (two percent), as well as peace and safety (two percent).
Finally, about one percent or fewer said they were thankful for having no worries or problems, a house, good friends, a love life or spouse, and surviving an illness or tragedy.
The Fourth Quarter SWS was conducted from November 24 to 30, 2025, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila), the Visayas, and Mindanao.
The sampling error margins are ±3% for national percentages and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
