Romantic gestures vary from person to person, but a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that for most Filipinos, love is best expressed through ‘acts of service.’
If you find joy in driving your loved ones to work, preparing their favorite meals, or helping them with errands without being asked, you are not alone.
The survey found that almost seven in 10 adult Filipinos or 67% express their love by doing thoughtful actions for others—making ‘acts of service’ the most common of the five so-called ‘love languages’ in the country.
The concept of love languages was introduced by Dr. Gary Chapman, a well-known marriage counselor. He explained that people give and receive love in different ways, and understanding this can help improve relationships.
‘Words of affirmation’ and spending ‘quality time’ with loved ones are tied at second as 51% of respondents said they express their love through verbal encouragement, heartfelt letters, or sharing meaningful moments.
‘Receiving gifts’ ranked fourth, with 33% of Filipinos preferring to express love through tangible tokens of appreciation. Meanwhile, ‘physical touch’ ranked fifth at 29%.
The same survey also revealed what Filipinos want for Valentine’s Day. The top answer was ‘love and companionship’ with 19% of respondents choosing it over material gifts. Last year, ‘money’ was the most desired gift (10%).
At least 20% of men and 17% of women prefer ‘love and companionship.’ For men, ‘any gift from the heart’ (9%) and ‘flowers’ (8%) were the next best gifts. Women will accept ‘money’ (15%) and ‘flowers,’ too (12%).
Despite these numbers, fewer Filipinos are satisfied with their love life with only 46% saying they are ‘very happy’ with their romantic relationships—12 points lower than in December 2023.
Meanwhile, 36% said they ‘could be happier,’ and 18% admitted they have ‘no love life’ at all.
The survey was conducted from December 12 to 18, 2024, with 2,160 respondents across the country through face-to-face interviews.
The study has a margin of error of ±2% for national results, ±3% for Balance Luzon, and ±5% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.