Filipino's "Unhappy" Love Lives

I’ve been going over the latest Social Weather Stations survey, and one thing stands out immediately: fewer Filipinos today describe themselves as “very happy” with their love life than at any point in more than two decades.

The survey, conducted from November 24 to 30, 2025, shows that only 46 percent of adults say they are very happy in their romantic lives. What’s striking is that this figure hasn’t improved from last year—and in fact, it matches the lowest level recorded since the question was first asked back in 2004.

At the same time, more Filipinos seem to feel that their relationships could still improve. About 40 percent now say they “could be happier,” an increase from 36 percent in 2024. On the other hand, those who report having no love life at all dropped to 14 percent, down from 18 percent previously.

When I looked closer at the breakdown, marriage still appears to be linked to higher levels of satisfaction. Among women, those who are married report the highest happiness in their love life at 57 percent. Married men show a similar pattern, though slightly lower, at 55 percent.

Comparing this with last year’s data, married women saw a small uptick in happiness—from 54 percent to 57 percent. For married men, however, the trend went in the opposite direction, declining from 61 percent to 55 percent.

There are also fewer women now without a partner, with 22 percent saying they are single or without a spouse—slightly down from last year. Among men, 28 percent say they have no love life. Interestingly, though, single men report improved satisfaction overall, with their happiness rising significantly by nine points compared to 2024.

Taken together, these numbers suggest that while fewer Filipinos feel completely fulfilled in their love lives, fewer are also completely without one—and more are somewhere in between, hoping things can still get better.

-Manny Cuevas