The number of Filipinos who regard religion as ‘very important’ aspect of their lives has dropped from a record high of 83% in December 2019 to 73%, based on a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The latest survey was held from November 21 to November 25, 2020.
The December 2019 survey, meanwhile, was conducted prior to the coronavirus pandemic which affected the entire world.
“The national Social Weather Survey of November 21-25, 2020, found 73% of adult Filipinos saying religion is very important in their lives, 9% somewhat important, 3% not very important, and 15% not at all important,” SWS said in a statement.
“The view that religion is very important has been dominant in all SWS surveys since SWS began to track these responses in December 2015. The latest figure of 73% is 10 points below the record-high 83% in December 2019 but 4 points above the 69% in June 2019,” it added.
Religious activities have been declining too. A total of 6% of the respondents said that they attended religious services weekly, 34% said they did it monthly, and 27% said occasionally.
“Weekly attendance at religious services, averaged over the entire year, began at a majority 66% when SWS first surveyed it in 1991. It fell to 58% in 1994, the next year with data, and mostly stayed somewhat above 50% until 2012, except in 2008 when it fell to a minority 47%,” the SWS said.
“It fell to an average 46% in 2013 and has since then stayed at less than half,” it added. “The 44% annual average weekly attendance at religious services in 2019 is the lowest since the 46% yearly average in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017,” it added.
Most of these decreases in perception belong to the Christian faith. No recorded decrease in Muslim Filipinos, and there’s a reported increase among Iglesia Ni Cristo members.
“The percentage of those who regard religion as very important is highest in Mindanao (88%), followed by Metro Manila and Balance Luzon (70% each), and the Visayas (64%),” the SWS said.
