Nearly seven in 10 Filipinos are entering the holiday season with optimism, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Wednesday, Dec. 24.
The poll, conducted from November 24 to 30, 2025, found that 68% of adult Filipinos expect their Christmas to be “happy.” This figure reflects a 3-point increase from the 65% recorded in 2024, although it remains below the 73% levels seen in 2023 and 2022.
While a majority remain hopeful, 7% of respondents said they expect a “sad” Christmas, and 25% anticipate an occasion that is “neither happy nor sad.”
Regional and Historical Trends
Geographically, optimism is highest in Mindanao, where 76% of respondents expect a happy holiday.
The Visayas followed at 73%, while both Metro Manila and Balance Luzon recorded a 64% happiness expectation.
The current 68% rating is significantly higher than the record-low 50% recorded in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, it still trails the pre-pandemic high of 79% in 2019 and the all-time record of 82% set in 2002.
Gratitude for Health and Family
In addition to holiday expectations, the survey asked Filipinos what they are most thankful for as the year ends.
Good health topped the list of reasons for gratitude, cited by 45% of respondents. Other major reasons included family (29%) and simply being alive (28%). Smaller percentages mentioned their jobs or income (7%), faith in God (7%), and having food to eat (6%).
The SWS survey involved face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide. It has a sampling error margin of ±3% for national percentages and ±6% for regional areas.