"What God had joined together, let no man put asunder," so the Holy Bible says.
Not surprisingly, the predominantly Catholic Filipinos have rejected the proposal to legalize divorce, according to a recent survey by OCTA Research.
The survey from June 26 to July 1, 2024, showed that 57% of adult Filipinos do not support passing a law to legalize divorce in the country.
OCTA said the June 2024 figure indicated a 6% increase from the 51% recorded in the third quarter of 2023.
Meanwhile, around 3% of Filipinos favor the legalization of divorce, a slight decrease of 2% from the previous survey.
Four percent of the respondents were undecided on the matter.
Across areas, Balance Luzon had the highest percentage of Filipinos who are not in favor of legalizing divorce at 61%.
Regarding socioeconomic classes, Class ABC had the highest support for the proposal at 5%, while dissent was highest in Class D and E at 58%.
The survey also found that around 55% of adult Filipinos will not vote for a candidate promoting the legalization of divorce in the country. In comparison, only 39% will vote for such a candidate.
Public perceptions
Of adult Filipinos who support legalizing divorce, around 94% agree that married couples who have already separated and cannot reconcile should be allowed to divorce so they can legally remarry.
Around 95% of those in favor of legalizing divorce also agree that divorce should be available for spouses who were abused or subjected to violence.
Ninety-six percent of Filipinos who support the legalization of divorce are in favor of couples who have been living separately for an extended period without reconciliation should be allowed to divorce.
The survey was conducted among 1,200 respondents using face-to-face interviews with a ±3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level. (PNA)
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