3 of every 5 live-in partners say ‘yes’ to divorce

HALF of Filipinos have expressed their agreement on legal divorce for separated couples, with 63 percent approval reported among live-in partners, the latest Social Weather Stations revealed on Wednesday.

The survey results showed that 50 percent of Filipinos agree while 33 percent disagree and 16 percent are undecided with the statement, “Married couples who have already separated and cannot reconcile anymore should be allowed to divorce so that they can get legally married again.”

“Net agreement [% agree minus % disagree, correctly rounded] is therefore +18 approval of the proposition,” the pollster said.

The survey said that a big change was happened from divorce opinion in May 2005, when 43 percent of the respondent agreed and 44 percent disagreed with a net -2.

It added that compared to May 2005, in Visayas attitude toward legal divorce switched from opposition to support from net -24 (32 percent agree, 56 percent disagree) to net +13 (50 percent agree, 37 percent disagree).

In Metro Manila it changed from neutral to favorable, from net -1 (44 percent agree, 45 percent disagree) to net +17 (52 percent agree, 35 percent disagree).

It also changed in Mindanao from net -7 (36 percent agree, 43 percent disagree) to net +9 (44 percent agree, 35 percent disagree).

The pollster added that changes were also noted in Balance Luzon from net +11 (51 percent agree, 40 percent disagree) to net +24 (54 percent agree, 29 percent disagree).

By class
The survey results also showed that Filipinos attitude toward legal divorce were changed from opposition to support in classes.

In Class E from net -13 (37 percent agree, 50 percent disagree) to net +11 (45 percent agree, 34 percent disagree), Class D or the masa from net -2 (42 percent agree, 44 percent disagree) to net +20 (52 percent agree, 32 percent disagree).

It, however, became less favorable in Class ABC from net +25 (59 percent agree, 34 percent disagree) to net +16 (57 percent agree, 40 percent disagree).

Men, women
The survey agency said that supports for legal divorce rose among men and women, regardless of whether they are married or single (without a spouse or partner) were also changed.

“Compared to May 2005, attitude towards legal divorce changed from neutral to favorable among men, from net +1 [44 percent agree, 43 percent disagree] to net +21 [52 percent agree, 30 percent disagree], and women, from net -5 [41 percent agree, 46 percent disagree] to net +14 [49 percent agree, 35 percent disagree].

Divorce also became favorable among singles, from net +7 (45 percent agree, 38 percent disagree) to net +22 (52 percent agree, 30 percent disagree), and among married, from net -7 (41 percent agree, 48 percent disagree) to net +14 (49 percent agree, 34 percent disagree), it said.

However, it stayed among those with live-in partners from net +36 (63 percent agree, 26 percent disagree, correctly rounded) in May 2005 to net +35 (62 percent agree, 27 percent disagree) in March 2011.

“Attitude toward legal divorce switched from opposition to support among married women, up from net -10 [39 percent agree, 49 percent disagree] to +10 [47 percent agree, 38 percent disagree, correctly rounded],” the survey agency said.

It changed from neutral to favorable among married men from net -3 (43 percent agree, 46 percent disagree) to net +18 (50 percent agree, 31 percent disagree, correctly rounded).

Agreements among single women and men were noted from +4 (44 percent agree, 40 percent disagree) to +20 (51 percent agree, 30 percent disagree, correctly rounded) and from +11 (45 percent agree, 34 percent disagree) to +23 (53 percent agree, 29 percent disagree), respectively.

The SWS survey, which was conducted on March 4 to 7, 2011, used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent for national percentages and plus or minus 6 percent for area percentages.

The survey agency said that the latest survey is non-commissioned items, and was included on SWS’ own initiative. –JOVEE MARIE N. DELA CRUZ REPORTER, Manila Times