MANILA, Philippines – Fifty percent of Filipinos agree that divorce for separated couples should be legalized, results of the latest Social Weather Stations survey revealed Wednesday.
The survey, conducted last March 4-7, 2011, found that 50% of adult Filipinos agree and 33% disagree 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.”
Sixteen percent of Filipinos are undecided about the matter.
The survey results show a marked shift in the public’s attitude towards divorce for the past 5 years. In May 2005, only 43% of adult Filipinos backed the legalization of divorce while 44% disagreed.
SWS said support for divorce increased in all geographical areas. In Metro Manila, support for divorce among adult Filipinos increased from 44% in May 2005 to 52% in March this year.
It also increased from 51% to 54% in Balance Luzon, 32% to 50% in the Visayas and from 36% to 44% in Mindanao.
Attitudes towards legal divorce also shifted among social classes. Among Class E respondents, support for a divorce law increased from 37% in 2005 to 45% this year.
More people from Class D or the masa also favored a divorce law, from 42% in 2005 to 52% in March this year.
However, support for the divorce law dropped 2 percentage points among Class ABC respondents, from 59% in 2005 to 57% this year. More Class ABC respondents opposed divorce, from 34% in 2005 to 40% in 2011
More men, women back divorce
SWS said support for legal divorce rose among men and women, regardless of whether they are married or single.
More men (52%) and women (49%) backed the proposal, compared to 2005. 52% of singles and 49% of marrieds also agree that divorce should be legalized
Support for a divorce law dropped one percentage point among those with live-in partners, from 63% agree in May 2005 to 62% in March 2011.
More married women now back divorce, from 39% to 47% in just six years. Support for divorce also increased among married men (43% to 50%), single women (44% to 51%), single men (45% to 53%) and men with live-in partners (54% to 63%).
However, it became less favorable among women with live-in partners, from 71% agree in May 2005 to 62% agree in March 2011.
The 2005 and 2011 SWS surveys used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, the Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Both used sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages and ±6% for area percentages. –abs-cbnNEWS.com
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