Poll: 81% of Filipinos favor Bible’s influence on national laws
Credit to Author: Marco Luis Beech| Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2025 12:11:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — As the Philippines approaches its 2025 national elections, a majority of Filipinos express that the Bible should play a significant role in shaping national laws, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.
The survey found that 51% of Filipinos believe the Bible should have a "great deal" of influence on national legislation, while 30% said it should have a "fair amount" of influence.
On the other hand, 14% think it should "not have too much influence," and only 11% believe it should have no influence at all.
The Pew report, which examines levels of religious nationalism globally, defines "religious nationalists" as individuals who align with their country's historically predominant religion and advocate for its influence in governance.
Researchers observed that adults in high-income countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, and France are more likely to favor minimal or no influence of religious texts on laws, compared to middle-income nations like the Philippines.
The survey also bared that 85% of Filipinos view religion as beneficial to society, surpassing the global average of 77% across 36 surveyed countries. This aligns with findings that middle-income nations tend to perceive religion as doing more good than harm compared to wealthier countries.
When it comes to leadership, 59% of Filipinos consider it "very important" for a national leader to share their religious beliefs, making the Philippines one of the highest-ranking Christian-majority nations in this regard. In contrast, only 6% in Japan and Australia prioritize this criterion.
The study further underscores the Philippines' strong association between religion and national identity. About 73% of Filipinos believe religion is essential to being truly Filipino, the highest among Christian nations surveyed.
By comparison, high-income countries like Spain (71%), Sweden (69%), and France (61%) overwhelmingly view religion as irrelevant to national identity.
Around the world, attitudes toward religion's role in governance and society vary widely. For instance, among Buddhist-majority countries, Thailand leads with 61% affirming religion's importance. Similarly, Tunisia (86%) and Indonesia (80%) top Muslim-majority nations in valuing religion's societal role.
The survey was conducted from January 5 to May 22, 2024, through face-to-face interviews with Filipino adults. The margin of error is ±1.5 percentage points.