Hinging on Hope: Philippines remains the most hopeful for 2022 among SEA

For Southeast Asians, year-end celebrations do not simply translate to watching fireworks light up the sky, joining festivities, or exchanging gifts. It’s a time for the whole family and relatives to come together, celebrate the year that has passed and welcome the year ahead. But with the pandemic disrupting the normalcy in everyday life, a cloud of uncertainty looms over hope.

Recently, Milieu Insight published the results of their “Festival Sentiments & 2022 Outlook” study with 6,000 respondents across Southeast Asia about vaccination status considerations for year-end celebrations, their outlook for 2022, and concerns they have. 

The study showed 65% of people across Southeast Asia intend to attend in-person year-end celebrations with their loved ones. Among which, 51% will only join if all attendees are fully vaccinated, while 49% will do so regardless of the attendees’ vaccination status.

However, opinions varied across the six countries. In Singapore, only 43% indicated that they will only join their loved ones for year-end celebrations if everyone is vaccinated. Other countries are more cautious, registering a higher percentage of respondents who shared the same opinion, highest being Malaysia at 64%.

One in four residents from the Southeast Asian countries prefer if everyone is vaccinated but will join regardless, while 9% indicated they don’t mind the vaccination status of their family and friends.

Despite the uncertainties brought upon by the pandemic, the study also showed that hope is the top emotion that people feel towards 2022, with the Philippines being the most hopeful at 41%. However, this hope comes with reservations as uncertainty placed third in the top emotions in most SEA countries, particularly in Singapore (29%), Thailand (23%), and Malaysia (11%).

The state of the local economies ranked among the top five concerns that Southeast Asians have for 2022. This includes impact on household income, uncertainty over how long the pandemic will last and the health of loved ones. Among them, Thais are most concerned about the local economy (57%) and household income (62%).

On the study’s findings, Milieu Insight CEO Gerald Ang noted, “It was fascinating to see that people’s economic outlook mirrors their overall sentiments towards the new year – hopeful, yet cautious not to be overly optimistic. While many are expecting their local economies to recover, their spending intent remains conservative. After two years of living in uncertainty, people are likely to be more cautious about what to expect next. That said, 2021 has been filled with progresses and setbacks, and as countries inch towards finding success in living with COVID-19, people in Southeast Asia are remaining hopeful that we will be able to overcome the challenges ahead.”

Despite the worries, Southeast Asians look forward to celebrating the year-end with their families with precautions. After all, while they long to celebrate with their loved ones, they also hope to keep each other safe from harm. Looking ahead, they’re ready to move forward with the hope that the new year would bring good health and luck to everyone they hold dear.

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