A study conducted by Wellcome Globe Monitor in 2018 found that majority of Filipinos would rather believe in religion than science if put to the choice. The research findings showed “a summary of public attitudes to science and health challenges in the Philippines” and were based on a sample of 1,000 interviews. It measured the exposure of these people to science and their varying reception towards it.
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Graphs from Wellcome Globe Monitor 2018
While the greater part of respondents (73%) confirmed that they were educated in science until at least a secondary school level, the majority (74%) also prioritized religion over science should it disagree with their beliefs. This makes sense considering that it is a small minority (32%) which purport to have a high trust for science. There was also a portion of respondents (38%) who flat out believe that science is in contradiction with their personal beliefs.
Graphs from Wellcome Globe Monitor 2018
Seemingly at odds with these previous statistics is the high number of respondents who still have trust in basic claims by science. 78% of the interviewees report that they believe science continues to benefit the country and its people. On par with the global average, 79% also think that vaccines are safe.
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The study was conducted by asking questions on which sources of science do people trust, whether they believe that science contradicts their religion, if they think that vaccines have any harms, and more.
Would you rather believe in science or religion?Â
