WHAT do you expect to happen in 2023? Chances are, you’re looking forward to something good.
Despite the numerous challenges that Filipinos faced this year, including high prices due to record-high inflation, an overwhelming majority of adults remain optimistic for 2023, according to a Pulse Asia survey.
The pool found that 92 percent of adult Filipinos will face the new year with hope.
“Hopefulness is nearly universal among the country’s adult population as far as the new year is concerned,” Pulse Asia said.
The survey found that 8 percent of adult Filipinos said they were ambivalent about the new year, while less than one percent said they would face the new year without hope
The feeling of hope is the same across geographic areas and socio-economic classes.
Among geographic areas, the most number of people from the Visayas, or 99 percent, say they will welcome 2023 with hope.
They are followed by Metro Manila with 94 percent, and the rest of Luzon and Mindanao with 89 percent each.
Among socio-economic classes, 94 percent of the those in class E say they will face the new year with hope, followed by 92 percent of those from class D, and 86 percent from class ABC.
Celebrations
Pulse Asia also found that almost the same number of adults say that their family’s holiday celebrations this year will be more prosperous or just as prosperous as last year.
According to the poll 43 percent of the country’s adult population will have a more prosperous holiday celebration this year, while 42 percent said they expect their celebration to be the same as the one they had last year.
Majority of those in the Visayas, or 66 percent expect a more prosperous holiday. 46 percent from Mindanao, 35 percent fro the rest of Luzon and 32 percent from Metro Manila say the same.
Many from Metro Manila, or 64 percent, expect their celebration to be the same as last year. In the rest of Luzon, 56 percent say the same, followed by Mindanao with 52 percent and Visayas with 32 percent.
The nationwide survey was conducted from November 27 to December 1 using face to face interviews.
The notable developments that took place in the weeks leading up to the survey period included headline inflation hitting 7.7 percent in October 2022, the highest rate since December 2008.
Prices of sugar and onion were among those that increased.
The government also launched the “Kadiwa ng Pasko” during this time to allow local agricultural producers to sell their items and to give the public access to affordable products.
This was also the period when the Manila Electric Company announced a rate increase.
But local oil companies implemented a series of price reductions during this period.
Another notable development was the filing of the House of Representatives bill to establish the Maharlika Investment Fund and the Senate’s approval of the P5.268 trillion 2023 budget bill.
