Love or career? According to latest survey, most Filipinos choose career

Photo: NKF Singapore/Facebook
Photo: NKF Singapore/Facebook

While it seems most Filipinos tend to be hopeless romantics and wear their hearts on their sleeves, a survey released by Social Weather Stations (SWS) yesterday found that most Filipinos, if forced to choose, would pick having a career over a love life.

This might be a little bit of a surprise to some, considering the Philippines consistently ranks in the top five most emotional countries in the world.

Fifty-nine percent of respondents SWS surveyed said they would choose career, while 41 percent said they would choose to have a love life.

The survey was conducted in December through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with a sampling error of ±3% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Do you believe that you can have both a love life and a career? Most Filipinos who were asked in this survey do.

To the question “Is it possible to be successful in your love life and career at the same time?” 84 percent of respondents said it is, while 66 percent actually experienced having both a successful career and love life (awww!).

Only a few were pessimistic about their abilities to have a career and love life, with 5 percent saying that having both is “somewhat impossible,” and 3 percent who were sure that it was “definitely impossible.” Eight percent didn’t know.

According to the survey, slightly more women — 60 percent — would choose career over love life than men — 57 percent.

This probably isn’t surprising but those who would choose career over love life were single people.

According to the survey, about 82 percent of those who are widowed, separated, or divorced, and 77 percent of those who were never married would choose to have a career over love life.

Only 53 percent of men with live-in partners and 50 percent of married men would choose to have a career over love life. Among single women, 83 percent of those who never married and 80 percent of those who are widowed, separated, or divorced would choose career over love life, compared to 65 percent among those with live-in partners, and 49 percent among married couples.

If you’re worried about getting too old for a love life, well, you might have good reason to be. The survey also found that the proportions of those with no love life tend to be higher among the older singles than the younger ones.

Among men, 68 percent of those aged 35 years old and above have no love life, compared to 42 percent of 18-34 years old. Among women, 63 percent of those aged 35 years old and above have no love life, compared to 50 percent of those between 18-34 years old.

Happy Valentines Day everyone!



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on