SWS survey: 51% of Filipinos want someone rich though ugly

Apparently, for most Filipinos, looks don't really matter. According to the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations, released three days before Valentine's Day, 51% of Filipinos prefer someone who is rich though ugly. The survey also showed that only 46% of the Filipinos surveyed preferred someone who is good-looking but poor. The fourth quarter 2010 SWS survey was conducted among 1,200 correspondents across the country from November 27-30 last year. It has a margin of error of ±3 percent for national percentages, and ±6 percent for area percentages. Overall, majority of the Filipinos are very happy with their love life, according to the SWS survey released three days before Valentine’s Day. Filipino men were more likely to choose someone good-looking but poor (52%) for a life partner. Filipino women, on the other hand, were more inclined to have someone who is rich but ugly (57%), the survey revealed. While preference among men varies across age groups, the survey noted that preference for a life partner who is rich but ugly is high across all age groups among women. In Metro Manila (55%) and in other parts of Luzon (55%), more Filipinos prefer a life partner who is rich but ugly. However, most Mindanao residents (56%) want someone good-looking but poor. The respondents from Visayas, meanwhile are undecided, with some 50% choosing someone rich but ugly, and 49% choosing someone good-looking but poor. Among classes, 57% of the middle-to-upper classes ABC and 52% of the masa class D would prefer someone rich but ugly, while 51% of the very poor class E would choose good-looking but poor. More Filipinos happy with love life Amid all these, the survey notes that more Filipinos are more Filipinos in 2010 who are happy with their love life, compared to a similar survey by SWS done six years ago. Some 55% of the respondents say they are very happy with their love life, a bounce back from 46% in 2004, and coming from a high 58% in 2002 when the question was first asked. Those who say their love life could be happier meanwhile declined to 34% in 2010, from 44% in 2004 and 32% in 2002. The number of those who say they have no love life hardly changed at 11%. The survey also noted that married people have happier love life, with three out of five (64%) saying they are very happy with their love life, compared to 43% among those with a live-in partner, and 33% among those who have no spouses or partners. Around 55% of those with live-in partners, on the other hand, say their love life could be happier, compared to 36% among those married, and 21% among those single. The survey revealed there are more single females (53 percent) than single males (38 percent) who say they have no love life. Happiness comes with age Older people likewise tend to be happier with their love life compared to the younger ones. According to age, only two out of five (44%) of those aged 18 to 24 are very happy with their love life; 53% among those 25 to 34; 60 percent among those 35 to 44; 52% among those 45 to 54; and 59% among those 55 and above. One out of four (26%) of the youth also said they have no love life, higher than the older age groups. Meanwhile, more people from the Visayas (67%) and Mindanao (71%) said their love life is very happy compared to those from Manila (57%) and from other parts of Luzon (40%). - with Jerrie Abella, VVP, GMA News