Social Weather Report | 34% of Adult Filipinos Stressed “Frequently” in Daily Life, Up From 27% in December 2019

by Social Weather Stations

53% experience “big” stress related to finances, 42% to health, 39% to job/school, and 38% to family

This October 10 marks the celebration of World Mental Health Day, drawing attention to the magnitude of stress experienced by people worldwide.

As part of monitoring Filipinos’ views on well-being, SWS tracked public attitudes toward stress factors, including one’s financial situation, health, job/school, and family, providing valuable insights into how they affect daily life and overall mental health.

The national Social Weather Survey of September 24-30, 2025 found that 34% of adult Filipinos experience stress frequently in their daily lives, 32% experience it sometimes, 30% rarely, and 4% never [Chart 1].

Compared to December 2019, the percentage of those who experience stress frequently rose by 7 points from 27%, while those who experience it sometimes fell by 5 points from 37%, and those who rarely experience it fell by 4 points from 34%. Those who never experience stress hardly moved from 2%.

The survey also found 53% experiencing big (% very big and % somewhat big) stress related to finances, 42% to health, 39% to job/school, and 38% to family [Chart 2].

Metro Manila reports the highest frequency of stress

To the test statement, “How often do you experience stress in your daily life [Gaano kadalas kang makaranas ng stress sa iyong araw-araw na buhay]?”, 50% in Metro Manila reported feeling stress frequently, compared to 36% in Balance Luzon, 28% in Mindanao, and 26% in the Visayas [Chart 3].

Compared to December 2019, the experience of frequent stress rose by 15 points from 35% in Metro Manila, by 8 points from 28% in Balance Luzon, and by 10 points from 18% in Mindanao. It hardly changed from 28% in the Visayas.

On the other hand, the percentage of those who experience stress sometimes was highest in Balance Luzon with 34% (down from 38%), followed by Mindanao with 32% (down from 41%), the Visayas with 31% (up from 29%), and Metro Manila with 27% (down from 38%).

Those who rarely experience stress were highest in the Visayas and Mindanao with 37% each (down from 41% and 36%, respectively), followed by Balance Luzon with 27% (down from 33%), and Metro Manila with 19% (down from 25%).

Lastly, those who never experience stress were highest in the Visayas with 6% (up from 2%), followed by Balance Luzon with 4% (up from 2%), and in Metro Manila and Mindanao with 3% each (barely changing from 2% and 4%, respectively).

Women experience stress more frequently than men

The September 2025 survey also found 41% of women experiencing stress frequently daily, compared to 27% of men [Chart 4].

Compared to December 2019, the experience of frequent stress rose by 8 points from 33% among women, and by 7 points from 20% among men.

Meanwhile, those who experience stress sometimes fell from 37% in December 2019 to 31% in September 2025 among women, and from 36% to 33% among men.

Those who rarely experience stress fell from 28% to 25% among women, and from 40% to 35% among men.

Those who never experience stress stayed at 2% among women, while it hardly changed from 3% to 5% among men.

The September 2025 survey presented the respondents with four specific factors, in random order, and asked, “Please tell me how much stress each of these factors causes in your life right now [Pakisabi lang po kung gaano kalaki ang na idudulot na stress ang bawat isyu sa inyong buhay ngayon].”

On the magnitude of stress related to One’s financial situation, 53% considered it big (21% very big and 32% somewhat big), and 37% considered it small (26% small and 11% almost none). Ten percent were undecided on the matter [Chart 2].

On stress related to One’s health, 42% considered it big (15% very big and 27% somewhat big), and 46% considered it small (28% small and 18% almost none). Eleven percent were undecided on the matter.

On stress related to One’s job/school, 39% said it was big (13% very big and 26% somewhat big, correctly rounded), 51% said it was small (24% small and 27% almost none, correctly rounded), and 9% were undecided.

On stress related to One’s family, 38% considered it big (14% very big and 24% somewhat big), 52% considered it small (30% small and 22% almost none), and 10% were undecided on the matter.

Higher stress levels in Metro Manila than in other areas

The September 2025 survey found that Metro Manila respondents reported higher stress levels across all four factors compared to other areas.

On stress related to One’s financial situation, 59% (22% very big and 37% somewhat big) in Metro Manila considered it big, compared to 55% (22% very big and 33% somewhat big) in Balance Luzon, 50% (18% very big and 31% somewhat big, correctly rounded) in Visayas, and 47% (20% very big and 27% somewhat big) in Mindanao [Chart 5].

On stress related to One’s health, 55% (16% very big and 39% somewhat big) in Metro Manila said it was big, compared to 44% (15% very big and 29% somewhat big) in Balance Luzon, and 36% each in Visayas (13% very big and 23% somewhat big) and Mindanao (14% very big and 22% somewhat big) [Chart 6].

On stress related to One’s family, 49% (17% very big and 32% somewhat big) in Metro Manila considered it big, compared to 39% (13% very big and 25% somewhat big, correctly rounded) in Balance Luzon, 37% (15% very big and 22% somewhat big) in Mindanao, and 29% (10% very big and 19% somewhat big) in Visayas [Chart 7].

On stress related to One’s job/school, 44% (14% very big and 30% somewhat big) in Metro Manila said it was big, compared to 38% in Balance Luzon (13% very big and 25% somewhat big) and Mindanao (15% very big and 24% somewhat big, correctly rounded), and 37% in Visayas (11% very big and 25% somewhat big, correctly rounded) [Chart 8].

Women experience higher magnitude of stress than men

The survey also found that more women report big stress than men across all factors.

On stress related to One’s financial situation, 57% (24% very big and 34% somewhat big, correctly rounded) of women consider it big, compared to 48% (18% very big and 30% somewhat big) of men [Chart 9].

On stress related to One’s health, 46% (18% very big and 29% somewhat big, correctly rounded) of women consider it big, compared to 38% (12% very big and 26% somewhat big) [Chart 10].

On stress related to One’s family, 44% (16% very big and 28% somewhat big) of women consider it big, compared to 32% (12% very big and 20% somewhat big) [Chart 11].

On stress related to One’s job/school, 40% (14% very big and 26% somewhat big) of women consider it big, compared to 38% (12% very big and 26% somewhat big) [Chart 12].

Survey Background

The Third Quarter 2025 Social Weather Survey was conducted from September 24-30, 2025, using face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide: 300 in Metro Manila, 600 in Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila), and 300 each in the Visayas and Mindanao. The sampling error margins are ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for Balance Luzon, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

The area estimates were weighted by the Philippine Statistics Authority medium-population projections for 2025 to obtain the national estimates.

The survey items reported here were non-commissioned. They were done on SWS’s own initiative and released as a public service.

The exact phrasing of the survey questions (the source language is Filipino; English translation included) was:

“Gaano kadalas kang makaranas ng stress sa iyong araw-araw na buhay? (MADALAS, MINSAN, BIHIRA, HINDI KAILANMAN) [How often do you experience stress in your daily life? (FREQUENTLY, SOMETIMES, RARELY, NEVER)]?
“Pakisabi lang po kung gaano kalaki ang na idudulot na stress ang bawat isyu sa inyong buhay ngayon. Pakilagay lang po ang kard na may isyu sa naaangkop na lugar sa rating board na ito. (NAPAKALAKI, MEDYO MALAKI, HINDI TIYAK KUNG MALAKI O MALIIT, MALIIT, HALOS WALA) [Please tell me how much stress each of these factors causes in your life right now. You may indicate your answers by placing the card with the factor in the appropriate place on this rating board. (VERY BIG, SOMEWHAT BIG, UNDECIDED IF BIG OR SMALL, SMALL, ALMOST NONE)]”

(SHUFFLE CARDS)

Inyong trabaho o pag-aaral [One’s job or school]
Inyong kalusugan [One’s health]
Inyong pamilya [One’s family]
Inyong pinansyal na kalagayan [One’s financial situation]

SWS employs its own staff for questionnaire design, sampling, fieldwork, data processing, and analysis, and does not outsource any of its survey operations. This report was prepared by Jillian Carylle M. Pescadero.

Chart 1