SWS: 82% of Muslims pray the Salah a few times daily

Eighty-two percent of Muslim adults pray the Salah at least a few times daily, the results of a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

The November 21 to 25, 2020 national Social Weather Survey consisted of 83 percent Catholics, 5 percent Muslims, 2 percent Iglesia ni Cristos, and 10 percent other Christians. SWS defined other Christians as Christians other than Catholics and Iglesia ni Cristos.

The survey asked the Muslim respondents how many times they pray the Salah. Salah are prayers performed by Muslims, observed five times daily at prescribed times.

To this, 53 percent of the Muslim respondents said they pray the Salah five times daily, 29 percent a few times daily, 16percent sometimes, and 2 percent over a year ago.

Meanwhile, non-muslim respondents were asked how often do they pray.

To this, 28 percent of non-Muslims said they pray several times a day, 39 percent once a day, 17 percent weekly, 9 percent monthly,  and 3 percent occasionally.

Further, the survey also found that 38 percent of Filipino adults rated themselves as "very religious,"50 percent as "moderately religious," 10 percent  as "slightly religious," and 2 percent as "not religious at all."

By religion, the percentage of those who consider themselves as very religious is highest among Iglesia ni Cristos (56 percent), followed by Other Christians (46 percent), Muslims (44 percent), and Catholics (36 percent).

Among Muslim respondents, those who pray the Salah at least a few times daily are higher among those who are very religious (89 percent) and moderately religious (81 percent) than among those who are slightly religious (35%). None of the Muslim respondents rated themselves as not religious at all.

Among non-Muslims, those who pray at least once daily are also higher among those who are very religious (70 percent), somewhat religious (67 percent), and slightly religious (64 percent) than among those who are not religious at all (45 percent).

The SWS poll was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adult Filipinos aged 18 years old and above nationwide. Of the 1,500 respondents, 600 were from Balance Luzon and 300 each in Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The sampling error margin is ±2.5% for national percentages, ±4% for Balance Luzon, and ±6% for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.—LDG, GMA News