A QUARTER of Filipinos are uncertain on whether their lives’ and their families’ lives will be better in the upcoming year, with the poorest Filipinos least optimistic about their outlook in the new year. This is according to public opinion firm WR Numero’s November 2025 national survey.
In the latest Philippine Public Opinion Monitor, respondents were asked whether they expect their lives and their family’s lives to improve in the coming year. The nationwide survey was conducted from November 21-28, 2025 and was done through face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,412 Filipinos residing in the Philippines.
Some Filipinos are unsure on whether life will improve in the upcoming year (25%), while a majority remain optimistic that life will improve in the coming year (55%). Two in ten believe that life this year and next year will remain the same (16%), while a small portion (4%) think that life will be worse in the coming year.
Filipinos' New Year expectations by income class
Among income classes, those in Class E are least optimistic on their outlook of the new year, with only 50% saying that life will be better in 2026. This is compared to Class ABC and Class D Filipinos, with 66% and 65% who are optimistic of 2026, respectively.
Filipinos in Class E are also most uncertain about changes in their lives in the new year, with 29% saying they are unsure of their expectations of a better life next year. This is in contrast to Class ABC (12%) and Class D (15%), where only few report uncertainty. Meanwhile 5% among those in Class E also think life will be worse – the highest among all income classes.
Filipinos' New Year expectations by area
Across areas, more respondents in Visayas (29%) and Rest of Luzon (26%) also report higher uncertainty of what they think 2026 will bring. They are followed by those in Metro Manila (23%) and Mindanao (20%).
More Filipinos in Rest of Luzon (6%) also say that life will be worse in the upcoming year, followed by those in Mindanao (5%), Metro Manila (4%), and Visayas (1%).
Those in Metro Manila (20%) also report the highest view that life this year and next will be the same, followed by those in Rest of Luzon (18%), and Visayas and Mindanao (both at 12%).
Filipinos' New Year expectations by sex Male Filipinos (27%) also appear less certain about their expectations for 2026 than female Filipinos (22%). Men are also less optimistic, with 6% saying life will get worse. This is higher than the share of females (3%) who are also doubtful of the new year. This is twice as much as females who are also doubtful of the new year (3%).
In contrast, more female Filipinos appear to be hopeful for the upcoming year (60%) compared to male Filipinos (50%).
The nationwide survey, conducted from Nov. 21-28, was done through face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,412 Filipinos residing in the Philippines, at a ±3% margin of error and 95% confidence level. At the subnational level, the margin of error is ±7% for the National Capital Region, ±4% for the rest of Luzon, ±6% for the Visayas, and ±5% for Mindanao, all at the same 95% confidence level. PR