How well do you know yourself as a Filipino? Well, if you need help with defining your identity, perhaps these ten surveys and reports can paint a picture of your collective identity as a Filipino.
It’s amazing to know that we are a bunch of Facebook addicts, that we adore the Pope, that it takes as a year to find a job after college graduation, that we are the country with the most women leaders, and that we are NOT actually the happiest people on earth!
This is definitely a no-brainer. Filipinos of today just can’t have enough of Facebook, and now another survey proves how addicted Pinoys are to FB. According to the 2015 Global Mobile Consumer Survey by Deloitte conducted in five countries in Southeast Asia:
- Filipinos are 38% more satisfied with mobile data volumes than in 2014
- 80% of Filipinos check their mobile phones within 15 minutes after waking up
- 94% of Filipinos pick Facebook Messenger as their favorite messaging service
In contrast, Malaysians prefer WhatsApp, Thais prefer LINE, and Indonesians prefer BlackBerry Messenger. Preferred messaging service among Singaporeans was unknown.
Amidst the rampant use of Facebook and other social media among Pinoys, a survey revealed that 80% of teenagers in the Philippines fall victims of cyberbullying. According to a 2015 report by the Stairway Foundation Inc., a child-care NGO, Pinoy teens aged 13-16 are more prone to cyberbullying with 80% of them cyberbullied through social media.
Meanwhile, 60% of Filipino children aged 7-12 are also victims of cyberbullying, and that 30% kids in this category were bullied through threats, 20% were bullied through photo editing, 10% through public humiliation.
Parents need to closely monitor the Internet consumption of their kids since only 60% of kids aged 7-12 and 34 of kids aged 13-16 confide to their parents regarding their cyberbullying experiences.
The Philippines being a Catholic Nation would naturally have high regard for the Pope. And survey showed that our country comes in second to Portugal in having the most favorable opinion about Pope Francis. In summary,
- 94% of Portuguese have favorable opinions about the Pope
- 93% of Filipinos have favorable opinions about the Pope
- 89% of Argentinians have favorable opinions about the Pope
More and more Pinoy kids are getting fatter and fatter. Cute-looking maybe, but having so many obese kids poses great concern to the country’s overall health. According to a joint study by the UNICEF, WHO and ASEAN, middle-income countries such as the Philippines suffer the so-called “double burden of malnutrition.”
About 5% of the country’s children below 5 years old were found overweight in the 2013 survey, as compared to 1% rate in 1992, which points to a 400% increase in obesity rate. On the other hand, underweight, the other end of the malnutrition spectrum, continues to batter Pinoy kids affecting 30% in 2013, as compared to 20% in 1992.
The report added that the increased obesity is owed to the increased consumption of processed food that contains high levels of fat and sugar, combined with physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle.
How long do you think you can land a job after you graduate from high school? College? Asian Development Bank Outlook 2016 says that fresh college grads only find a job after 1 year and fresh high school graduates after 3 years. However, many of these young workers resort to taking up informal work with very low salaries or not find a job at all.
Based on a Philippine Statistics Authority report, unemployment rate in January 2016 have eased to 5.8%, with 48.2% of jobless folks falling into the age bracket of 18-24 years old.
ADB said that unemployment among young workers is due to the fewer jobs available for new entrants, mismatch of skills, and the prevailing unemployment (some 2.5 million Pinoys are still jobless).
Are you planning to work overseas? If yes, then you’re not part of the majority. Although going abroad as OFW likely provides an opportunity to earn a bigger salary, three quarters of Filipinos prefer to work not in the Middle East, not in North America, not in Europe, but right here in the Philippines in their own hometowns. At least, this is what the Department of Labor and Employment revealed in a report with Jobstreet.com.
The report said that 66% of the respondents are based in the country, with many of them working in their own localities. Filipino workers, the report disclosed, opt for local jobs because of family, work environment, and work-life balance.
Contrary to the majority of the Pinoy workers, those from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are the ones actively seeking jobs outside their own hometowns, with only a third of them wanting to stay close to home.
Workers in Central Visayas were found to be the most satisfied with their jobs, with 90% of them willing to stay and work in the region than elsewhere, the report continued.
As the dispute in the West Philippine Sea continues and heightens,
the Social Weather Stations and TV5 asked if Pinoys still want to have business contracts and deals with China. According to the joint survey, 40% of Pinoys are willing to do business deals with China despite the prevailing territorial crisis.
Of this number, 13% of respondents strongly agreed to continue doing business with China, 26% somewhat agreed, 26% were undecided, 12% somewhat disagreed, 16% strongly disagreed, and 7% didn’t know.
China and the Philippines cannot operate independently from each other. As of 2008 (January through October), bilateral trade volume between the two countries reached $25.3 billion, a growth of 1.4% over the past period. And China continues to be a “helping hand” to the country, for instance, it extended $100 million in credit to the Philippines in 2000.
Are you an Alpha Pinay? Here’s good news for you. The Philippines is among the top countries in Asia and in the world with the most women holding senior positions. The news was timely when it broke out on the International Women’s Day with Grant Thronton presenting the summary disclosing that 38.99% of corporate organizations in the country are lead by women. This rate is way higher than the global rate of 23.54%, Asia Pacific rate of 22.58%, and ASEAN rate of 33.50%.
The Philippines comes in second to Russia in this aspect, as 45.43% of businesses in Russia have women holding senior management positions. In contrast, Japan has the lowest women participation in business leadership at 7.30%.
When you spot a very long queue at the lottery, you might think that Pinoys are craving to be millionaires. But not really. According to a survey by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Filipinos don’t really dream of a lavish lifestyle, but of a simple, comfortably life.
The “Ambisyon Natin 2040” survey was conducted to know the aspirations of Filipinos for the next 30 years. It revealed that 79% of Pinoys want to lead simple, comfy lives as compared to 16.9% who want to live in affluence, and 3.95% who yearn for enormous wealth.
A simple, comfy life is characterized by having a medium-sized house, enough finances to cover daily needs, and a job with sufficient salary, among other things. An affluent life is characterized by having a medium-sized house, savings for emergencies, and businesses with enough earnings, among other things. Meanwhile, a rich life is characterized by having a big house, savings, and businesses with high earnings, among other things.
Pinoys often claim to be resilient and happy folks, but are we really a bunch of happy people? A CNN report describes the Filipinos as emotional people based on the 2016 World Happiness Report. It showed that the Philippines is actually behind 81 other countries in terms of happiness, garnering a score of 5.279 of 10. At least, in this regard we are ahead of China (rank 83rd, 5.245 of 10).
The study mentioned that GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption were primary factors affecting the rankings.
The happiest nations in the world include Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. Unfortunately, people in Burundi, Syria, Togo, Afghanistan, Benin, Rwanda, Guinea, Liberia, Tanzania, and Madagascar are the least happy people in the world.
Wasn’t that helpful?
These surveys should provide insights to understanding our culture and race, our behaviors and preferences as Filipinos. Knowing these facts can help us plan for the future. For instance, a lot of our children and teens are victims of cyberbullying, so adults and parents need to be more watchful and discerning of the kids’ use of the Internet and social media.
Do you agree to the survey results? Why or why not? Are we really not that happy? Perhaps so. Do we really want a simple, comfortable life over an affluent one? The survey says so, but is it true in your case?
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