Filipino feelings of pride

Filipinos are not an average people. I recently wrote that we tend to be skeptical about science, and purist in defining our identity. Now, based on the 2013/14 National Identity survey of the International Social Survey Program (www.issp.org), I can say that we also have comparatively strong feelings of national pride.

The ISSP network asked respondents in 33 countries whether they felt Very Proud, Somewhat Proud, Not Very Proud, or Not Proud At All about 10 potential bases or sources of pride. Social Weather Stations did the Philippine survey on a national sample of 1,200 adults on Feb. 19-23, 2014.

The survey findings on each basis for pride, arranged by the percentage of Filipinos feeling Very Proud (i.e. those most rabid about it), are as follows:

1. Very proud of our achievements in sports, 54 percent of Filipinos. The Philippine percentage is third highest of all the countries, after Slovenia 60 and Croatia 56. It is above India 53 and Spain 50; all others are below 50.

Manny Pacquiao is not all. Let me cite my own sport: Filipino pool players have been Masters of the Table in the multi-event Derby City Classic the past six years: Django Bustamante (2013, 2018), Dennis Orcullo (2014, 2017) and Alex Pagulayan (2015, 2016). Carlo Biado, World Pool 9-ball champion in 2017, is runner-up in 2018.

2. Very proud of our history, 53 percent. We are No. 5, after Georgia 77, India 61, Great Britain 57, and Israel/Jews 54. Next is Iceland 50. I agree with a historian-friend who says that out history is poorly taught, and so we actually know very little of it. Still, we are very proud of our history, as we know it.

3. Very proud of our achievements in arts and literature, 47 percent. Here we are No. 4, after Ireland 58, India 55, and Japan 48, and before Spain 40. Our Miss Universes, theater people, musicians and writers are here.

4. Very proud of our economic achievements, 34 percent. We are No. 4, after India 46, Norway 41, and Switzerland 34, and before Germany/West 31; all others are below 30.

5. Very proud of our armed forces, 33 percent. We are No. 7, after India 69, United States 66, Great Britain 58, Israel/Jews 52, Turkey 49, Georgia 42, and before Croatia 30 and Ireland 30; all others are below.

6. Very proud of our scientific and technological achievements, 32 percent. We are No. 9, after Israel 65/55 (Arabs/Jews), Japan 56, India 50, Switzerland 47, United States 46, Great Britain 40, Germany 40/35 (West/East) and Turkey 34, and before Hungary 31 and Spain 31; all others are below.

7. Very proud of fair and equal treatment of all groups in society, 28 percent. We are No. 2, after India 48, and before Turkey 25, Switzerland 22, and Great Britain 21; all others are below 20.

8. Very proud of the way democracy works, 26 percent. We are No. 6, after India 56, Switzerland 42, Norway 35, United States 29, and Denmark 27, and before Sweden 24 and Turkey 22; all others are below 20.

9. Very proud of our social security system, 24 percent. We are No. 11, after Israel/Arabs 47, India 45, Norway 42, Switzerland 38, France 35, Belgium 40/38/34 (Brussels/Flanders/Wallonia), Denmark 28, Finland 28, Turkey 26, and Spain 25, and equal to Germany/West 24; all others are below 20. This, our lowest ranked basis for pride, is well above the median of 17 for 33 countries.

10. Very proud of our political influence in the world, 15 percent. We are No. 4, after India 46, Turkey 24, and Israel/Arabs 16, and before Germany/West 14 and United States 14; all others are below.

This is not about being very good in these areas, but about feeling very proud of ourselves.  Social scientists must be asking: Why Indians? Why Turks? Why Filipinos?

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