33% of Pinoys ‘very happy’ with life — SWS survey

At least 33% of Filipinos consider themselves “very happy” with their lives, according to a survey released by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) on Friday.

The survey, conducted from November 24 to 30, 2025, showed the figure was comparable to 31% in March 2025 and 34% in December 2024, but 10 points lower than the 43% recorded in December 2023.

Meanwhile, 50% of respondents described themselves as “fairly happy,” down three points from 53% in March 2025 but similar to 48% in December 2024.

The proportion of those who said they were “not very happy” stood at 15%, unchanged from December 2024 and close to 13% in March 2025, but six points higher than the 9% recorded in December 2023.

Only 2% said they were “not at all happy,” comparable to 3% in March 2025 and 4% in December 2024. The figure ranged from 1% to 2% between December 2021 and December 2023.

Respondents were asked: “If you were to consider your life in general these days, how happy or unhappy would you say you are on the whole?”

SWS said the “very happy” score from March to November 2025 reflected increases of five points in Balance Luzon and four points in the Visayas, offset by a four-point decline in Metro Manila and no change in Mindanao.

By area, the share of “very happy” respondents was highest in the Visayas at 40% (up from 36% in March 2025), followed by Mindanao at 34% (from 35%), Balance Luzon at 32% (from 27%), and Metro Manila at 24% (from 28%).

By educational attainment, “very happy” responses were highest among college graduates at 41% (up from 30% in March 2025), followed by those with some senior high school at 34% (from 32%), junior high school graduates at 33% (from 31%), elementary graduates at 31% (from 28%), and non-elementary graduates at 27% (down from 35%).

The share of those who were “fairly happy” was highest at 52% in both Metro Manila (from 51%) and Mindanao (from 46%), followed by 49% in Balance Luzon (down from 58%) and the Visayas (down from 52%).

Meanwhile, those who were “not very happy” were most prevalent in Metro Manila at 21% (up from 18% in March 2025), followed by Balance Luzon at 17% (from 13%), Mindanao at 12% (down from 15%), and the Visayas at 8% (from 9%).

The share of those “not at all happy” varied little across areas: 3% in Metro Manila (unchanged) and the Visayas (from 4%), and 2% in both Balance Luzon (unchanged) and Mindanao (down from 4%).

The November 2025 survey also asked respondents about life satisfaction. Results showed 28% were “very satisfied,” 51% “fairly satisfied,” 14% “not very satisfied,” and 7% “not at all satisfied.”

The survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults aged 18 and above nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon (Luzon outside Metro Manila), the Visayas, and Mindanao.

The sampling error margins are ±3% for national estimates and ±6% for each of the four areas.—MCG, GMA Integrated News