OCTA: 57% of Filipinos oppose legalization of divorce in PH

By Filane Mikee Cervantes, Philippine News Agency

OCTA said the June 2024 figure indicated a 6-percent increase from the 51 percent recorded in the third quarter of 2023. (Pexels photo)

MANILA – More than half of the Filipino adult population are not in favor of legalizing divorce in the Philippines, according to a recent survey by OCTA Research.

The survey, done from June 26 to July 1, 2024, showed that 57 percent of adult Filipinos do not support passing a law to legalize divorce in the country.

OCTA said the June 2024 figure indicated a 6-percent increase from the 51 percent recorded in the third quarter of 2023.

Meanwhile, around 39 percent of Filipinos favor the legalization of divorce, a slight decrease of 2 percent 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 percent.

In terms of socioeconomic classes, Class ABC had the highest support for the proposal at 53 percent, while dissent was highest in Class D and E at 58 percent.

The survey also found that around 55 percent of adult Filipinos will not vote for a candidate promoting the legalization of divorce in the country, while only 39 percent will vote for such a candidate.

Public perceptions

For adult Filipinos who support legalizing divorce, around 94 percent agree that married couples who have already separated and cannot reconcile should be allowed to divorce so they can legally remarry.

Around 95 percent 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 that 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 percent confidence level.