Home Catholic Church & Asia Filipino Catholics believe in ‘live-in’ before marriage, survey shows

Filipino Catholics believe in ‘live-in’ before marriage, survey shows

Survey results show 45 percent of respondents believe that being married "is not necessary before living together”

Filipino Catholics see nothing wrong with couples living together without receiving the sacrament of marriage, showed the result of an online survey done by Church-run Radio Veritas 846.

“This nationwide survey reveals that 40 percent would agree that couples should get married first before living together,” results of the Veritas Truth Survey (VTS) noted.

“On the other hand, 45 percent believe that being married is not necessary before living together,” it added.



The remaining 15 percent were undecided over the question “Should couples get married first before living together; and not engage in a common-law partnership arrangement?”

Result of the survey also showed that among elderly respondents with ages 61 and older, 61 percent said couples should get married before living together; 33 percent said that being married is not necessary before living together; and six percent were undecided.

For adult (40-60 years old) respondents, 48 percent said couples should be married first before living together; 29 percent said that being married is not necessary before living together, and 23 percent were undecided.

As for young adult (21-39 years old) respondents, 21 percent said couples should be married first before living together; 58 percent said that being married is not necessary before living together, and 21 percent were undecided.

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Finally, for teen (13-20 years old) respondents, 34 percent said that couples should be married first before living together; 51 percent said that being married is not necessary before living together, and 15 percent were undecided.

Father Anton Pascual, president of Radio Veritas 846, said the survey results pose “a challenge in the Church’s ongoing mission to evangelize the faithful most especially nominal Catholics on the beauty of the sacrament of marriage.”

“To instill this social reality on the respondents’ perception towards common law partnership, we should evangelize our Catholic faithful on the transcendent value of marriage which places God in union between husband and wife,” said Father Pascual.

Marriage
Fewer Filipinos are reportedly getting married. (Photo by Angie de Silva)

Bro. Clifford Sorita, head of the team that facilitated the survey, said the study mirrors the prevailing mindset among the younger generation.

“This comes from the ‘instant mentality,’ which comes from this young age group,” he said.

“The somewhat prolonged courtship process our elderly have experienced is something foreign among our young,” said Sorita.

The survey, which was conducted from January 1 to 31, involved 1,200 respondents nationwide, and had a +/- 3% margin of error.

Last year, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that fewer Filipinos got married in 2019.

The PSA report shows that there were a total of 431,972 registered marriages recorded in 2019, lower than the 449,169 tally in 2018.

Of the total marriages in 2019, about 38.6% were made through civil ceremonies.

Marriages officiated in the Catholic Church came in second (36.2%) followed by other religious rites (22.9%), Muslim tradition (1.4%), and tribal ceremony (0.9%).

More males and females aged 25-34 years old who got married were solemnized in the Catholic Church compared to any other types of marriage ceremony. – from a CBCP News report

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