13 April 2017, page 1 of 9 52 Malingap St., Sikatuna Village, Quezon City Website: www.sws.org.ph Tel: 924-4456, 924-4465 Fax: 920-2181 ERRATA as of 2 April 2018: In Chart 1 and Table 1, the figures from year 2004 to 2015 were corrected to show attendance at religious services among All Adults, instead of among Roman Catholics only as shown in the previous version of this report. Also, data for years 2000 and 2011 were previously not included. In Table 4, the weekly attendance at religious services among All Adults should be 53% instead of 54%. The discussions in third to sixth paragraphs were revised to reflect these corrections. We apologize for the confusion. First Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey: 48% of Filipino adults attend religious services weekly; 85% said religion is important Krisia Santos and Eliza Marie Marchadesch Social Weather Stations Nearly half (48%) of adult Filipinos attend religious services weekly, 34% monthly, and 17% occasionally, according to the First Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey, done on March 25-28, 2017. The remaining 0.4% said they never attend religious services [Chart 1, Table 1]. The survey also found a majority 85% saying religion is very/rather important, and 15% saying it is not very/not at all important [Chart 2, Table 2]. Frequency of attending religious services The annual average proportion of those who attend religious services weekly was 66% in 1991. It fell to 58% in 1994 and mostly remained at 50s levels until 2012, except in 2008 when it fell to 47%. Weekly church attendance of adults stayed at 40s levels from 2013 to 2017. The annual average proportion of those who attend religious services monthly has been at 30s levels except in years 1991 and 1994 (at 21% each), 1996 (26%) and 1998 (22%). The current 34% annual average is a percentage lower from the recorded 35% from 2014 to 2016. Except for the 4% in 1994 and 9% in 1998, the annual average proportion of those who attend religious services occasionally has been at double-digit levels, reaching as high as 20% in 2013. Since 1991, the annual average proportion of those who said that they never attend religious service has ranged from 0.1% to 3%. It has been below 1% since 2012.
13 April 2017, page 2 of 9 Attendance at religious services, by religion The proportion of those who attend religious services weekly was highest among members of Iglesia Ni Cristo at 90%, followed by Muslims at 81%, other Christians at 71%, and Catholics at 41% [Table 3]. The proportion of those who attend religious services monthly was highest among Catholics at 39% followed by other Christians (18%), Muslims (9%), and Iglesia Ni Cristo (4%). The proportion of those who attend religious services occasionally was also highest among Catholics at 20% followed by Muslims and other Christians (both with 10%), and Iglesia Ni Cristo (6%). The proportion of those who never attend religious services ranged from 0.4% to 1% across religions. In the 69 SWS surveys on church attendance from 1991 to 2017, weekly attendance to religious services has always been lower among Catholics, compared to adult Filipinos in general [Chart 3, Table 4]. The highest recorded annual average weekly church attendance among adult Filipinos was 66% in 1991. On the other hand, the highest recorded annual average weekly church attendance among Catholics was 64%, also in 1991. Among adult Filipinos, the latest 48% weekly church attendance in March 2017 is only 2 points above the record-low 46% in 2014 and 2015. Likewise, the latest 41% weekly church attendance of Catholics in March 2017 is just 2 points above the record-low 39% weekly church attendance of Catholics in 2014 and 2015. The 23-point decline in Catholics' weekly church attendance from 1991 to 2017 is highly significant, statistically speaking. Importance of religion To the survey question, "Gaano po ka-importante sa tingin ninyo ang relihiyon sa inyong buhay? [How important would you say that religion is in your life?]," 78% answered talagang importante (very important), 7% answered medyo importante (rather important), 2% answered hindi gaanong importante (not very important), and 14% answered talagang hindi importante (not at all important) [Chart 2, Table 2].
13 April 2017, page 3 of 9 The opinion that religion is very/rather important has been dominant in all six SWS surveys since December 2015, reaching as high as 94% in June 2016 and 90% in December 2016. The latest figure of 85% in March 2017 is 5 points below 90% in December 2016, but 6 points above the first recorded figure of 79% in December 2015. On the other hand, the proportion of Filipino adults who said religion is not very/not at all important was 21% in December 2015. It then ranged from 6% to 18% from April 2016 to March 2017. Importance of religion, by religion The proportion of those who say religion is very/rather important was highest among members of Iglesia Ni Cristo at 96%, followed by Catholics and other Christians (both at 85%), and Muslims (71%) [Table 5]. On the other hand, the proportion of those who say religion is not very/not at all important was highest among Muslims at 29%, followed by Catholics and other Christians (both at 15%), and members of Iglesia Ni Cristo (4%) Survey Background The March 2017 Social Weather Survey was conducted from March 25-28, 2017 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide, 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao (sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao). The area estimates were weighted by National Statistics Office medium-population projections for 2016 to obtain the national estimates. The Social Weather Survey items on religion are not commissioned. They are done on SWS's own initiative and released as a public service. The survey questions are as follows: Q1. Gaano po kayo kadalas magsimba? (SHOWCARD) ILANG BESES SA ISANG LINGGO, MINSAN SA ISANG LINGGO, 2-3 BESES SA ISANG BUWAN, ILANG BESES SA ISANG TAON, MINSAN SA ISANG TAON, ILANG BESES SA ISANG TAON, MINSAN SA ISANG TAON, MAS BIHIRA PA, o HINDI KAILANMAN. [How often do you attend religious services? (SHOWCARD) Several times a week, Once a week, 2-3 times a month, Once a month, Several times a year, Once a year, Less frequently, or Never.]
13 April 2017, page 4 of 9 Q2. Gaano po ka-importante sa tingin ninyo ang relihiyon sa inyong buhay? Masasabi po ba ninyo na ito ay (SHOWCARD) TALAGANG HINDI IMPORTANTE, HINDI GAANONG IMPORTANTE, MEDYO IMPORTANTE, o TALAGANG IMPORTANTE? [How important would you say that religion is in your life? Would you say that it is (SHOWCARD) Not at all important, Not very important, Rather important, or Very important?] SWS employ its own staff for questionnaire design, sampling, fieldwork, data-processing, and analysis, and do not outsource any of its survey operations. #
% of adults 1 st Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey 13 April 2017, page 5 of 9 Chart 1 ATTENDANCE AT RELIGIOUS SERVICES AMONG ADULTS, PHILIPPINES, 1991-2017 70 60 50 Weekly, 48% 40 30 20 Monthly, 34% Occasionally, 17% 10 0 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 * Never, 0.4% Note: Figures (%) are annual averages. Q. Gaano po kayo kadalas magsimba o sumamba? (SHOWCARD) ILANG BESES SA ISANG LINGGO, MINSAN SA ISANG LINGGO, 2-3 BESES SA ISANG BUWAN, MINSAN SA ISANG BUWAN, ILANG BESES SA ISANG TAON, MINSAN SA ISANG TAON, MAS BIHIRA PA, o HINDI KAILANMAN. 1 Table 1 ATTENDANCE AT RELIGIOUS SERVICES AMONG ADULTS, PHILIPPINES, 1991-2017 (1/2) Weekly Monthly Occasionally Never 1991 66% 21% 11% 2% 1994 58 21 4 3 1996 54 26 18-1997 52 32 15 0.1 1998 57 22 9 1 1999 52 31 16 2 2000 50 34 15 1 2001 52 33 15 0.5 2002 51 31 15 0.5 2003 53 32 14 0.4 2004 53 31 14 1 2005 51 35 13 1 2006 53 31 15 1 Note: Figures (%) are annual averages. Q. Gaano po kayo kadalas magsimba o sumamba? (SHOWCARD) ILANG BESES SA ISANG LINGGO, MINSAN SA ISANG LINGGO, 2-3 BESES SA ISANG BUWAN, MINSAN SA ISANG BUWAN, ILANG BESES SA ISANG TAON, MINSAN SA ISANG TAON, MAS BIHIRA PA, o HINDI KAILANMAN.
% of adults 1 st Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey 13 April 2017, page 6 of 9 ATTENDANCE AT RELIGIOUS SERVICES AMONG ADULTS, PHILIPPINES, 1991-2017 (2/2) Weekly Monthly Occasionally Never 2007 51% 33% 14% 1% 2008 47 33 19 1 2009 54 31 14 0.4 2010 50 35 14 1 2011 51 34 14 1 2012 53 33 13 0.5 2013 46 33 20 0.1 2014 46 35 18 0.3 2015 46 35 18 0.4 2016 47 35 17 0.4 2017 48 34 17 0.4 Note: Figures (%) are annual averages. Q. Gaano po kayo kadalas magsimba o sumamba? (SHOWCARD) ILANG BESES SA ISANG LINGGO, MINSAN SA ISANG LINGGO, 2-3 BESES SA ISANG BUWAN, MINSAN SA ISANG BUWAN, ILANG BESES SA ISANG TAON, MINSAN SA ISANG TAON, MAS BIHIRA PA, o HINDI KAILANMAN. 3 Chart 2 IMPORTANCE OF RELIGION, PHILIPPINES, 2015-2017 100 80 Important, 85% 60 40 20 Not important, 15% Dec 15 Apr 16 Jun 16 Sep 16 Dec 16 Mar 17 Q. Gaano po ka-importante sa tingin ninyo ang relihiyon sa inyong buhay? Masasbi po ba ninyo na ito ay TALAGANG HINDI IMPORTANTE, HINDI GAANONG IMPORTANTE, MEDYO IMPORTANTE, o TALAGANG IMPORTANTE? (SHOWCARD)
13 April 2017, page 7 of 9 Table 2 IMPORTANCE OF RELIGION, PHILIPPINES, 2015-2017 Important Not Important Dec 2015 79% 21% Apr 2016 86 14 Jun 2016 94 6 Sep 2016 82 18 Dec 2016 90 9 Mar 2017 85 15 Q. Gaano po ka-importante sa tingin ninyo ang relihiyon sa inyong buhay? Masasbi po ba ninyo na ito ay TALAGANG HINDI IMPORTANTE, HINDI GAANONG IMPORTANTE, MEDYO IMPORTANTE, o TALAGANG IMPORTANTE? (SHOWCARD) Table 3 ATTENDANCE AT RELIGIOUS SERVICES AMONG ADULTS, BY RELIGION, MAR 2017 Other PH Catholics Muslims INC Christians [100%] [79%] [4%] [3%] [13%] Weekly 48% 41% 81% 90% 71% Monthly 34 39 9 4 18 Occasionally 17 20 10 6 10 Never 0.4 0.4 1 0 1 Note: Other religions (0.1%) and none (0.05%) are not shown. Q. Gaano po kayo kadalas magsimba o sumamba? (SHOWCARD) ILANG BESES SA ISANG LINGGO, MINSAN SA ISANG LINGGO, 2-3 BESES SA ISANG BUWAN, MINSAN SA ISANG BUWAN, ILANG BESES SA ISANG TAON, MINSAN SA ISANG TAON, MAS BIHIRA PA, o HINDI KAILANMAN.
% of adults 1 st Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey 13 April 2017, page 8 of 9 Chart 3 WEEKLY CHURCH ATTENDANCE AMONG ALL ADULTS AND CATHOLIC ADULTS, PHILIPPINES, 1991 2017 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 35 ALL ADULTS 48% CATHOLIC ADULTS 41% '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 Note: Figures (%) from 1991 to 2016 are annual averages. Q. Gaano po kayo kadalas magsimba o sumamba? (SHOWCARD) ILANG BESES SA ISANG LINGGO, MINSAN SA ISANG LINGGO, 2-3 BESES SA ISANG BUWAN, MINSAN SA ISANG BUWAN, ILANG BESES SA ISANG TAON, MINSAN SA ISANG TAON, MAS BIHIRA PA, o HINDI KAILANMAN. Table 4 WEEKLY CHURCH ATTENDANCE AMONG ALL ADULTS AND CATHOLIC ADULTS, PHILIPPINES, 1991 2017 All Adults Catholic Adults 1991 66% 64% 1994 58 57 1996 54 52 1997 52 51 1998 57 53 1999 52 50 2000 50 47 2001 52 48 2002 51 47 2003 53 48 2004 53 47 2005 51 46 2006 53 48 Note: Figures (%) from 1991 to 2016 are annual averages. All Adults Catholic Adults 2007 51% 46% 2008 47 42 2009 54 49 2010 50 45 2011 51 46 2012 53 48 2013 46 40 2014 46 39 2015 46 39 2016 47 40 2017 48 41 Q. Gaano po kayo kadalas magsimba o sumamba? (SHOWCARD) ILANG BESES SA ISANG LINGGO, MINSAN SA ISANG LINGGO, 2-3 BESES SA ISANG BUWAN, MINSAN SA ISANG BUWAN, ILANG BESES SA ISANG TAON, MINSAN SA ISANG TAON, MAS BIHIRA PA, o HINDI KAILANMAN.
13 April 2017, page 9 of 9 Table 5 IMPORTANCE OF RELIGION, BY RELIGION, PHILIPPINES, MAR 2017 Total Roman Other PHL Catholics Islam INC Christs. [100%] [79%] [4%] [3%] [13%] IMPORTANT 85% 85% 71% 96% 85% Very important 78 77 68 95 79 Rather important 7 8 3 1 6 NOT IMPORTANT 15 15 29 4 15 Not very important 2 2 3 0 2 Not at all important 14 13 26 4 14 Note: Figures in parentheses are national proportions. Q. Gaano po ka-importante sa tingin ninyo ang relihiyon sa inyong buhay? Masasbi po ba ninyo na ito ay TALAGANG HINDI IMPORTANTE, HINDI GAANONG IMPORTANTE, MEDYO IMPORTANTE, o TALAGANG IMPORTANTE? (SHOWCARD)