The Rate of Same Sex Marriage Support On Students of Non-sectarian and Catholic

Universities in the Philippines

A Mini-Research Project
Social Science 192- Research
University of the Philippines- Manila
College of Arts and Sciences

May 2015
Background of the Study

Christianity is the dominant religion in the Philippines, with 90% of the country’s
population belonging in it. 80% of the whole population belongs in Roman Catholicism, the
largest Christian denomination in the country. (CIA, p.1)

Catholic tradition is embedded in the Filipino culture, with the Catholic Church greatly
influencing Philippine politics and society (USAID, p.10). The values of the Church are reflected
on the value of the individuals of Catholic faith. Pope Francis, being the leader of the Church,
has moral ascendancy over the Catholic followers.

One of Pope Francis’ strongest calls is the movement against the recognition of same-
sex unions as marriage. Same-sex marriage, according to him, is an “ideological colonization
that threatens the family,” and “threatens to disfigure God's plan for creation and betray the very
values which have inspired and shaped all that is best in your culture." (Rocca, p.1)

With this call, many Catholics go against same-sex marriage using the arguments of the
Church. However, there is a rising rate of LGBT movements in the country promoting support
for same-sex marriage. In fact, a survey suggests Filipinos are generally accepting LGBT
people, even while thechurch opposes anti-discrimination policies and sometimes seeks to
influence public policy in a negative way (USAID, p.10).

The views and beliefs of people on sensitive issues such as same sex marriage are
affected by diverse influences, may it be social, cultural, political, religious, or pedagogical.In
this study, the proponents have focused on the religious and pedagogical influences of the
people’s perspective.

Currently, there has been a significant division among the Filipino population on same
sex marriage opinion. Presumably, the population must reflect higher rate of opposition on the
issue, as the Philippines is a Catholic nation. But, recent polls suggest that Filipinos generally
come to be in support of it.

Seeing this, the proponents have come out with a notion on how the population, despite
being dominantly Catholic, has shown results not parallel to the Church’s official position on the
issue. The notion is that, the people’s educational orientation greatly affects their perception.
The pedagogical approach of their respective academic institution creates a significant effect on
their opinion, more or equal to their religious orientation.

This study was conducted to statistically prove the statement above.

Significance of the Study

This study is important in the field of gender studies as it deals with a topic widely
debated upon by the public. It also contributes to the field of behavioural science and sociology
because it relies on how social constructs, norms, and different aspects of life that can affects
the worldview of individuals. Moreover, with the relation of same-sex marriage opinions and the
pedagogical orientation of this subject rarely being explored, this study is an initiative to
establish their profound relationship, as current studies mainly focus on religious affiliations
affecting the populations’ perspective.

The proponents strongly believe that the study will inspire more research on this topic
and will ultimately enhance the body of knowledge that the topic is included in.

Limitations of the Study

The study was conducted in twenty-seven (27) days, from 1 May 2015 to 27 May 2015.
It had used the nominal level of measurement, and data was collected through simple random
sampling and survey questioning. Gender and religion of participants were in random. Two
universities were observed, a sectarian (Catholic) and a non-sectarian (Non-Catholic) school.
The former was represented by the students of University of the Philippines (UP), while the
latter by the students of University of Santo Tomas (UST). With a total sample size of 100; for
each school, a sample size of 50 was observed.
Literature Review

In 2013, the US- based Pew Research Center conducted a survey titled “The Global
Divide on Homosexuality,” with its statement “homosexuality should be accepted by society”
(Tubeza, p.1) Lest statement of the survey conducted was different from this study’s which is
“same-sex marriage should be supported,” they have a direct relation, with homosexuality being
the root of the same-sex marriage issue. Support for homosexuality may or may not, but most
probably may, consequently imply support for same-sex marriage at the same time.

The survey has established the fact that the Philippines is one of the few gay-friendly
countries among other nations. It showed that 73 percent of adult Filipinos agreed with the
survey statement, and only 26 percent disagreed. The results have shown significant difference
from the polls conducted in the past years, with an increase of nine percentage points of support
from 2002. The Philippines ranked at number 10 of the 39 countries who participated on the
survey. (Tubeza, p.1)

According to the results, despite the Philippines having high levels of religiosity, there is
a high level of public acceptance of homosexuals in the country. It is contrary to the
generalization of the study that countries with people who believe in and practice religiosity at a
high rate do not accept homosexuality in society. The Philippines, together with Brazil, are
countries which are exemptions to this said generalization. (Tubeza, p.1)

Religiosity was not the only factor observed by the survey. Age and gender differences
of the respondents were also included. The survey report said that “Age is also a factor in
several countries, with younger respondents offering far more tolerant views than older ones,”
and “while sex differences are not prevalent, in those countries where they are, women are
consistently more accepting of homosexuality than men.” (Tubeza, p.1)

In an interview conducted in the Philippines, among those participants aged 18-29, 78

percent said that homosexuals should be accepted. There is 71 percent from those aged 30-49
and 68 percent for those 50 years old and above, who agreed with said statement. (Tubeza,p.1)

This study has observed, relatively the same variables observed in the Pew Research
survey. Although the rate of religiosity was not pointed out, the participants’ religious
affiliation(s) were considered. Their biological sex and gender preference were also included in
this study’s findings. Gender preference was a factor that was not observed in the Pew survey
report, as it had only shown results based on biological sex.

However, there were still some opposition and disbelief on the statistical results
generalization of the Pew Research study. Jonas Bagas, executive director of the TLF Share
Collective, said that Filipino LGBTs are still hardly felt accepted by the Filipino community. He
said, “I think that the study only reflects the perceived acceptance of the LGBT community
based on the high visibility of gay entertainers. Its acceptance [that is] contingent on how you fit
the acceptable stereotype—the gay entertainer, the creative, talented bakla, the lesbian security
guard.” (Tubeza, p.1)

Perhaps this opinion was formed because the survey was not able to differentiate
“acceptance” from “toleration” of homosexuals. The survey might have shown the “toleration
level” of homosexuality, but not its “acceptance.” Acceptance is different from toleration, as
acceptance of homosexuality means fully accepting and understanding their choice and
existence, while toleration only means being compliant to them because they have already
existed.

Meanwhile, another survey was conducted in 2014 by Univision. While the Pew survey
is inclusive of all religions, this latter survey only included Catholic respondents from various
countries. Also, this survey had the same interrogative statement as this study, stating, “Do you
support marriage between two persons of the same sex?”

Among the Catholics of five participating regions, namely Europe, Africa, Latin America,
United States and the Philippines, only the US population had its majority supporting gay
marriage (Capehart, p.1).
 As shown in the data above, the Philippines only had 14 percent of its population who
supported same-sex marriage, in opposition to the 54 percent of US. Considering that all
respondents were of the same religion, the results implied that some other factor(s) aside from
religion affect the people’s support on it.

The democratic and liberal perspectives of the US have affected their Catholics’ view on
the issue. While US Catholics generally support it, Filipino Catholics have not due to the
prevailing conservative perspective in the country. Significant differences between the two
perspectives were proven by recent American statistics, showing that there has been 75 percent
support among liberals while only 29 percent among conservatives (PEW, p.1).
Hypotheses

The statements hereunder are the hypotheses of the study, with the first as the main hypothesis
and the following as sub-hypotheses.

1: The overall population of UP students will have a higher rate of same-sex marriage support
than UST students; considering the western liberal pedagogy in UP and the religious
conservatives in UST.

2: The Catholic population in UP will have a higher rate of same-sex marriage support than the
UST Catholic population.

3: The non-Catholic population in UP will have a higher rate of same-sex marriage support than
the UST non-Catholic population.

4: The female population in both universities will have a higher rate of same-sex marriage
support than the male.

5: 100 percent of the LGBT population in both universities will support same-sex marriage.

6: 100 percent of the population who said yes on same-sex marriage will say yes to the sub-
interrogative statement of the survey, “Do you think same-sex marriage should be legalized in
the Philippines?”
Methodology

Data Gathering Method:

Simple Random Sampling

Use of Survey or Questionnaire

Sample Survey:

SocSci 192 Mini-Research Project: Rate of Same Sex Marriage Support Among Students
of Non-sectarian and Catholic Universities in the Philippines`

Name: (optional)

Age:

Contact Number: (optional)

College: (optional)

Year Level:

 1st Year  3rd Year

 2nd Year  4th Year and up
Religion:
Sex:
 Male  Female
Gender Preference/Sexuality:
 Heterosexual  Bisexual
 Gay  Other
 Lesbian
1. Do you support same-sex marriage?

 Yes  No
 o Why or Why not?
2. Do you think that gay marriage should be legalized in the Philippines?
 Yes  No
o Why or Why Not?
3. How much has your religion affected your views on same-sex marriage?
(Rate from lowest: 1 to highest:5)
 1  2  3  4  5
4. How much has your academic institution affected your views?
(Rate from lowest: 1 to highest: 5)
 1  2  3  4  5

Proponents are going to compare the rate of support on same sex marriage between a
non-sectarian and catholic university. UP will be the representative for the non-sectarian
university while UST will be the representative of the catholic schools. The survey will be
conducted and disseminated online. Participants will be chosen at random, regardless of age,
sex, gender, and religion.

After data collection, the data from the University of the Philippines (UP) and University
of Santo Tomas (UST) will be computed separately. Percentages will be respectively derived
from each question in the survey. The mean, median, and mode, will be derived from questions
number 3 and 4 in the survey. The ratio will be derived, when data collected from UST and UP
are ready to be compared.

Formulas Used:

Percentage

𝑓
% = ( ) × 100
𝑁

Ratio:
𝑓1
𝑓2

Mean:

∑(𝑥𝑖 )
𝑥̅ =
𝑁

Median:

Md = the score of the case that is at the middle/centre of a distribution

Mode:

M = the value that occurs most frequently in a distribution

Results

University of the Philippines Population

Supporter vs. Non-supporter

40 out of 50 UP students (80% of the entire population) support same-sex marriage.

38 out of 40 (95% of same-sex marriage supporters) also support the legalization of

same-sex marriage, while 2 of 40 (5%) do not support its legalization.

10 of 50 UP students (20%) do not support same-sex marriage.

9 of 10 (90% of same-sex marriage non-supporters) also do not support its legalization,

while 1 of 10 (10%) support its legalization.

Catholic vs. Non-Catholic

40 out of 50 UP students (80% of the entire population) are Catholic.

33 of 40 (82.5% of UP Catholic population) support same-sex marriage. 31 of 33

(93.94% of UP Catholic supporters) also support its legalization, while 2 of 33 (6.06%)
do not support its legalization.

7 of 40 (17.5% of UP Catholics) do not support same-sex marriage, and also do not

support its legalization.

10 out of 50 (20%) are non-Catholic.

7 of 10 (70% of UP non-Catholic population) support same-sex marriage, and also

support its legalization.

3 of 10 (30%) do not support same-sex marriage. 2 of 3 do not also support its

legalization, while 1 supports legalization.
Female vs. Male

30 of 50 (60% of entire population) are female.

24 of 30 (80% of female population) support same-sex marriage. 22 of 24 (91.67%) also

support legalization, while 2 of 24 (83.33%) do not.

6 of 30 (20%) do not support same-sex marriage, and also do not support legalization.

20 of 50 (40%) are male.

16 of 20 (85% of male population) support same-sex marriage. 15 of 16 (93.75%) also

support legalization while 1 of 16 (6.25%) do not.

4 of 20 (15%) do not support same-sex marriage. 3 of 4 (75%) also do not support

legalization while 1 of 4 (25%) supports.

LGBT vs. Non-LGBT

9 of 50 (18% of the entire population) are LGBT.

9 of 9 (100% of LGBT) support same-sex marriage and its legalization.

41 of 50 (82%) are non-LGBT.

31 of 41 (75.60%) support same-sex marriage. 30 of 31 also support its legalization

while 1 of 31 does not.

10 of 41 (24.39%) do not support same-sex marriage and its legalization.

Impact of Religion on Population Perspective

When asked to rate the impact of one’s religion on their perspective on same-sex
marriage, the UP population reflected this data:
19 of 50 (38% of the entire population) say that their religion has affected their views at the
lowest level (1).6 of 50 (12%) chose level 2;12 of 50 (24%) chose level 3; 8 of 50 (16%) chose
level 4, and 5 of 50 (10%) chose 5, the highest level.

 Mean: 2.48
 Median: 2.5
 Mode: 1

This data implies that, in the UP population, there is a relatively high degree of
consensus that religion does not have a significant impact on the perspective on same-sex
marriages.

Impact of Academic Institution on Population Perspective

When asked to rate the impact of one’s academic institution on their perspective on
same-sex marriage, the UP population reflected this data:

15 of 50 (30% of the entire population) say that their academic institution has affected their
views at the lowest level (1). 0 of 50 chose 2; 8 of 50 (16%) chose 3; 18 of 50 (36%) chose 4;
and 19 of 50 (38%) chose 5, the highest level.

 Mean: 3.92
 Median: 4
 Mode: 5

This data implies that, in the UP population, being enrolled in UP has heavily had an
impact towards their views on same-sex marriage.
University of Santo Tomas Population

Supporter vs. Non-supporter

28 out of 50 UST students (56% of the entire population) support same-sex marriage.

18 out of 28 (64.3% of same-sex marriage supporters) also support the legalization of

same-sex marriage, while 10 of 28 (35.7%) do not support its legalization.

22 of 50 UST students (44%) do not support same-sex marriage.

21 of 22 (95.5% of same-sex marriage non-supporters) also do not support its

legalization, while 1 of 22 (4.5%) support its legalization.

Catholic vs. Non-Catholic

40 out of 50 UST students (80% of the entire population) are Catholic.

28 of 40 (70% of UST Catholic population) support same-sex marriage and 17 of 28

(60.7% of UST Catholic supporters) also support its legalization, while 11 of 28 (39.3%)
do not support its legalization.

12 of 40 (30% of UST Catholics) do not support same-sex marriage, and 11 of 12

(91.7% of UST Catholic supporters) also do not support its legalization, while 1 of 12
(8.3%) supports its legalization.

10 out of 50 (20%) are non-Catholic.

1 of 10 (10% of UST non-Catholic population) support same-sex marriage and also

supports its legalization.

9 of 10 (90%) do not support same-sex marriage and also do not support its legalization,

Female vs. Male

29 of 50 (58% of entire population) are female.

20 of 29 (69% of female UST population) support same-sex marriage. 13 of 24 (54.2%)

also support legalization, while 11 of 24 (45.8%) do not.

9 of 29 (31%) do not support same-sex marriage, and also do not support legalization.

21 of 50 (42%) are male.

8 of 21 (38% of male UST population) support same-sex marriage. 5 of 8 (62.5%) also

support legalization while 3 of 8 (37.5%) do not.

13 of 21 (15%) do not support same-sex marriage. 12 of 13 (92.3%) also do not support

legalization while 1 of 13 (7.7%) supports.

LGBT vs. Non-LGBT

8 of 50 (16% of the UP population) are LGBT.

7 of 8 (87.5% of UST LGBT population) support same-sex marriage. 5 of 7 (71.4%) also

support legalization, while 2 of 7 (28.6%) do not.

1 of 8 (12.5%) does not support same-sex marriage, and also does not support
legalization.

42 of 50 (84%) are non-LGBT.

21 of 41 (51.2%) support same-sex marriage. 12 of 21 (57.1%) also support its

legalization while 8 of 21 (42.9%) does not.

20 of 41 (48.8%) do not support same-sex marriage. 19 of 20 (95%) also do not support

legalization while 1 of 20 (5%) supports its legalization.
Impact of Religion on Population Perspective

When asked to rate the impact of one’s religion on their perspective on same-sex
marriage, the UST population reflected this data:

9 of 50 (18% of the population) say that their religion has affected their views at the lowest level
(1). 4 of 50 (8%) chose level 2; 16 of 50 (32%) chose level 3; 12 of 50 (24%) chose level 4, and
9 of 50 (18%) chose 5, the highest level.

 Mean: 3.16
 Median: 3
 Mode: 3

This data implies that, in the UST population, religion still has a significant impact on the
perspective on same-sex marriages. However, it is not as heavily impactful that religion is their
sole basis for their perspective.

Impact of Academic Institution on Population Perspective

When asked to rate the impact of one’s academic institution on their perspective on
same-sex marriage, the UST population reflected this data:

9 of 50 (18% of the population) say that their academic institution has affected their views at the
lowest level (1). 11 of 50 (22%) chose level 2; 13 of 50 (26%) chose level 3; 9 of 50 (18%)
chose level 4, and 8 of 50 (16%) chose 5, the highest level.

 Mean: 2.92
 Median: 3
 Mode: 3

This data implies that, in the UST population, being enrolled in UST still has a significant
impact on the perspective on same-sex marriages. But, it is interesting to note that its impact is
not that strong. It can be seen that the UST population may rely on other factors in building their
perspective on same-sex marriages.

Conclusion
 Using the findings of the data, the group has come up with the following conclusions:

With UP having 80-20 and UST having 56-44 ratio of support for same-sex
marriage, UP therefore have a higher rate of support than UST.

With an 82.5-17.5 UP ratio and 67.5-32.5 UST ratio, the UP Catholic population
thus have a higher rate of support than UST Catholics.

For non-Catholic population, UP (70-30) still have the higher rate than UST (10-
90).

For UP population, its male participants have a higher rate of support (85%) than
the females (80%). Meanwhile, in UST population, females have a higher rate
(65.52%) than the males (38.1%).

On the UP LGBT population, 100% have supported same-sex marriage, while in

UST LGBT, there is 88.89%. The UP LGBT thus have the higher rate of support.

Here, it can be derived that most of the hypotheses made by the group were supported
by the data. This verifies the impact of one’s religion and academic institution to one’s
perspective on same-sex marriages. UP, as a non-sectarian university, had a higher rate of
support than UST that is predominantly sectarian. The group considers the environment of both
universities as factors for this outcome. This study will help raise awareness among students of
both universities to create more accepting environment for the LGBT community. This will also
enlighten society in its quest for true gender emancipation.
Recommendation

The correlation between a person’s academic institution and their views on same-sex
marriage is a viable topic that should be delved into and further studied.

In addition to that, the group has the following recommendations:

 Create a follow-up study that relates a person’s perspective on same-sex marriage to

other factors such as socio-economic status.
 Quantify a larger sample size for the same topic for it to be more significant.
 Establish a gender-friendly/gender-sensitive environment for institutions that have a
religion-oriented conservative ideology in order to promote gender equality
 Research different methods of furthering the movement for gender emancipation and
ending gender discrimination in the institutional and societal level.
References

Ang Bayan (2014, June 21). Guys and Lesbians in the Revolutionary Movement. Retrieved from
http://www.philippinerevolution.net/publications/ang_bayan/20140621/gays-and-
lesbians-in-the-revolutionary-movement

Bernal, Buena (2013, June 14). Is the Philippines really gay-friendly. Retrieved from
http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/31276-philippines-gay-friendly

Capehart, J. (2014 February 11). Catholics Still Lead Way On Gay Marriage. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2014/02/11/catholics-still-lead-
way-on-gay-marriage/

Central Intelligence Agency. Philippines. 2015 April

21.https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rp.html

Changing Attitudes on Gay Marriage. (2014 September 24). Retrieved from

http://www.pewforum.org/2014/09/24/graphics-slideshow-changing-attitudes-on-gay-
marriage/

Cruz, Oscar V. ‘Same sex-marriage’. Retrieved from

http://www.cbcpnews.com/cbcpnews/?p=13036

Rocca, Francis X. (2015, Jan. 16). Pope, in the Philippines, says same-sex marriage threatens
family. Retrieved from http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1500200.htm

Taylor, Pamela K (2009, July 31). Marriage: Bothe Civil and Religious. Retrieved
from http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2009/07/31/marriage-both-civil-and-
religious/3855

Tubeza, P. (2013 June 8). PH Ranks Among Most Gay-Friendly in the World. Retrieved from
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/76977/ph-ranks-among-most-gay-friendly-in-the-world

UNDP, USAID (2014). Being LGBT in Asia: The Philippines Country Report. Retrieved from
http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1861/2014%20UNDP-
USAID%20Philippines%20LGBT%20Country%20Report%20-%20FINAL.pdf