Philippines still second in Asia on relationship satisfaction

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines retained second spot in terms of personal relationship satisfaction for two consecutive years, the latest Pru Life UK Relationship Index showed.

The country registered a PRI score of 79/100, at par with last year's results.  

According to the study, relationships in the Philippines fulfill 79 percent of people's needs and expectations, leaving only a 21 percent relationship gap. 

Cambodia garnered the highest PRI score in the region. Vietnam tied with the Philippines in the second spot. 

Completing the list of the countries involved in the study are Indonesia (third) Thailand (fourth), Malaysia (fifth), Singapore (sixth), Hong Kong (seventh) and China (eighth) were also involved in the study. 

In the region, Filipinos are still the most expressive in communication with their partners. Eighty-six percent are most likely to tell their partners they love them and 90 percent laugh together frequently. 

Couples who are more transparent with their partners tend to fare better with a relationship score of 80/100. Those who do not tell their partner everything scored lower at 68/100.

"Research shows that better relationships directly translate to a greater sense of well-being and significant improvement in health and longevity," Pru Life UK Chief Marketing Officer Allan Tumbaga said.

Despite the high level of relationship fulfillment, Filipinos still would not say their partners are perfect. 

If they could improve one thing about their partners, 38 percent want them to be more responsible, 34 percent prefer them to be more attentive and 33 percent want them to be more communicative. 

Money matters

The 2017 PRI revealed that 89 percent of Filipino couples expect their personal finances to improve by 2022 when they plan finances together.

Couples who are also more transparent about their finances do better on the relationship index as those who make financial plans together have a score of 81/100—18 points higher than couples who plan separately. 

The top financial goal of Filipinos is starting a new business (59 percent). Other financial goals include having enough money to travel with the family (49 percent), supporting the children's education (45 percent) and saving enough for future retirement (42 percent).

Almost nine out of 10 Filipinos expect to rely on their personal savings (87 percent) during their retirement. Thirty-six percent believe believe they will continue working to support themselves, while 32 percent expect their children to provide them with financial help. 

Retirement money and medical expenses topped the list of things that Filipinos worry about at 75 percent—the highest among the markets surveyed. 

Relationships and family life in 2050

Seven out of 10 Filipinos are hopeful that that their love life will get better within five years. It is the highest proportion among the nine countries surveyed. 

Eighty percent of Filipinos predicted that separation will be socially acceptable while 65 percent said that same-sex marriage will be legal in the country by 2050.

Seventy-percent expect that over half of the couples living together will not be married and 74 percent believe that over half of the children will be born to unmarried parents 33 years from now.

Despite this, seven out of 10 Filipinos are positive that children will have a better future than they do now. 

More than 4,600 interviews with adults between 25 and 55 years of age were conducted from June 26 to July 20.

Five hundred one interviews were conducted in the Philippines, particularly in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao.