New Year hope very high

Business World

BY ANA MAE G. ROA, Reporter

MORE FILIPINOS are hopeful of the coming New Year, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said, with their number near a record high hit eight years ago.

A Nov. 27-30 poll had 93% saying they were entering 2011 with hope, up from 2009’s 89% and just two points off the 95% peak hit in December 2002.

Those who said they would start the year fearful comprised 7%, down from last year’s 11%

Filipinos’ optimism with the coming year has traditionally been high, the SWS said, starting at 87% when the survey research institution started a poll about it in 2000.

The lowest point of 81% was hit in 2004 after which hopefulness rebounded to 85% the following year, stayed flat at 91-92% for the next three years and then fell to 89% last year.

Filipinos’ optimism is substantially higher than the Germans’ -- the New Year’s hope question was said to have originated in their country -- which over 1991 to 2009 ranged from 31-58%. German hope, the SWS said, has topped 50% only five times since 1991.

The optimism with the coming year, the SWS, is widespread across all areas and shared by all socioeconomic classes.

It improved to 96% from 87% in Metro Manila; to 94% from 90% in the Balance of Luzon; to 97% from 88% in Visayas; and to 89% from 87% in Mindanao.

By socioeconomic classes, those expressing hopefulness rose to 97% from 91% among the class ABC; 95% from 89% among the class D or masa and 89% from 87% among the class E.

The SWS said hopefulness about the New Year was tied to happiness with Christmas. Of the 69% looking forward to a cheerful Christmas, 96% were upbeat about the coming year. Even among the 7% who expected a sad Christmas, 77% were looking forward to 2011 with hope.

Sought for comment, University of Asia and the Pacific economist Cid L. Terrosa said the hopefulness could be a result of "a new administration, the cultural trait of Filipinos to be optimistic and overseas Filipino workers’ remittances."

Ateneo de Manila University political analyst Benito O. Lim, for his part, said: "It has always been the case."

"Filipinos are hoping that things will be better, maybe because we did not get the good things that we want or we were able to survive our previous problems."