Big majority of Filipinos still expect ‘happy’ Christmas in 2025

MANILA, Philippines – Around 68% of adult Filipinos expect Christmas in 2025 to be happy (masaya), a 3-percentage-point increase from the 65% who expected the same in 2024. 

According to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey held from November 24 to 30, only 7% of adult Filipinos were expecting a sad (malungkot) Christmas, while 25% said Christmas was likely to be neither happy nor sad. 

The 68% rate is lower than the 73% in 2023 and 2022, or the first couple of years after lockdowns due to COVID-19. Expectations of yuletide happiness hit a record low of 50% in 2020 or the first Christmas under the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Expectations of a sad Christmas in 2025 were down, too, said SWS — from 10% in 2024. The record high for expected sadness (15%) was recorded in 2020, again as the world was dealing with the pandemic.

According to SWS: “The expectation of a sad Christmas was customarily at single-digit levels, ranging from 2% to 9%. It reached double-digit levels only in 2004, 2009, 2011, 2020, and 2024, ranging from 10% to 15%.”

SWS also noted that expectations of a happy Christmas slightly rose across all areas — with the highest in Mindanao (76%), followed by the Visayas (73%), then Balance Luzon (64%) and Metro Manila (64%). 

It’s a finding that contrasts with slower economic growth reported in the third quarter of 2025, as well as an unchanged inflation rate recorded in October 2025. 

These economic figures were announced against the backdrop of the flood control and infrastructure corruption scandal that has engulfed many corners of government.

What are you thankful for?

While the survey did not ask the 1,200 respondents why they expect a happy Christmas, it did ask them what they were thankful for. Respondents were allowed one or two answers.

The survey found that Filipinos were most thankful for: 

• 45% for good health
• 29% for family
• 28% for being alive
• 10% for God
• 6% for food to eat (eating three times a day)
• 5% for coping with daily hardships
• 4% for all the blessings
• 4% for job/career/income
• 3% for happy life
• 3% for financial support
• 2% for prosperity
• 2% for education
• 2% for peace and safety

Around 1% of responses pertained to “having no worries or problems, house, and friendship/good relationship” and less than 1% of responses were related to “surviving an illness or surgery, love life/spouse, material things, and motorcycle/vehicle.”

“Good health” has been a top reason to be thankful for Filipinos from 2023 to 2025, according to SWS. “As of November 2025, it was highest in the Visayas at 55%, followed by Metro Manila, Mindanao, and Balance Luzon, at 42% each,” the survey firm noted. – Rappler.com