A new survey examining the faith practice habits of Catholics in the Philippines has found high levels of prayer and church attendance. The survey, conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), studied the responses of 1,200 Filipinos aged 18+, of whom 79% identified as Catholic.
When asked if they pray at least once per day, 7 in 10 (69%) answered in the affirmative, with more than half of these (35%) responding that they pray multiple times per day. Each of the subsequent lower levels of prayer also saw lower rates of responses. Ten percent said that they pray more than once per week, while only 6% said they pray once per week. A further 4% pray two or three times per month, and 4% only pray once per month. Only 1% responded that they never pray.
The survey next turned to inquire how often respondents attended weekly Mass. Sixty-two percent of Filipino Catholics surveyed said that they attend Mass at least twice a month or more. More than half of these (38%), a group that constitutes a plurality of responses, noted that they attend Mass once or more per week. Furthermore, a solid fifth of Filipino Catholics (20%) attend Mass once per month and 9% attend Mass under a dozen times per year. Only 3% of Filipino Catholics say they never go to church.
As for the difficulties in getting back to Mass after the pandemic, Filipino Catholics are overwhelmingly back in church. Some 93% of respondents said they have been to their local parish within the last three months. Only 3% said that they had watched a live-streamed Mass on their TV or internet within the same time frame. Two percent said they attend both in-person and virtual services. Once again only 1% said that they do not attend in-person or virtual religious services.
