Metro Manila teens more conservative than you think: Baseline Online Survey Results from Foundation for

Adolescent Developments Dare to Ask Symposium Series By Regina Layug Rosero for Mulat Pinoy

College students are concerned about the environment and the growth of the Philippine population. They dont approve of same-sex relationships. And they still believe in virginityespecially that of femalesbefore marriage. This is according to the Foundation for Adolescent Development (FAD), which conducted surveys among six (6) Metro Manila universities from July to December 2012. FAD is a non-stock, non-profit, non-government organization created to provide adolescents and young adults with correct information, value formation/clarification and services on health and sexuality. FAD is the driving force behind Dare to Ask, a symposium series that catered to college students in Metro Manila. The aim of Dare to Ask was to create a venue for enlightened discussions on health, sexuality, population and development issues affecting young people. A key feature of the symposiums was the conduct of baseline surveys, administered beforehand to assess the students attitudes towards population and development, sexuality, and health. The surveys were set up online, and the survey Web page was loaded onto laptops set up at the schools. Students were selected at random to take the survey.

Metro Manila teens more conservative than you think: Baseline Online Survey Results from Foundation for Adolescent Developments Dare to Ask Symposium Series By Regina Layug Rosero for Mulat Pinoy

Metro Manila teens more conservative than you think: Baseline Online Survey Results from Foundation for Adolescent Developments Dare to Ask Symposium Series By Regina Layug Rosero for Mulat Pinoy

Based on the results and consultations with the school administrations, FAD selected topics and speakers for each symposium. Some symposiums, for example, focused on teen pregnancy and social media, while others talked about HIV/AIDS. In March 2013, Cecilia Villa, then executive director of FAD and organizer of the entire Dare to Ask series, presented the survey results at the Asian Institute of Management. Ms. Villa was accompanied by Ma. Paz N. Marquez, an Associate Professor from the UP Population Institute. Ms. Villa and Ms. Marquez worked together on the statements in the survey, and Ms. Marquez also worked on the landmark Youth and Adolescent Fertility Survey (YAFS) from 2001. Some highlights from the survey results were surprising: More than half felt comfortable talking to parents and siblings about teen issues (e.g. dating, friends, body changes, sibling rivalry). The respondents preferred to get information from the Internet.

Metro Manila teens more conservative than you think: Baseline Online Survey Results from Foundation for Adolescent Developments Dare to Ask Symposium Series By Regina Layug Rosero for Mulat Pinoy

ON FEARS AND CONCERNS IN LIFE School was identified as a bigger source of stress than home life. The sources of stress for the respondents were: getting pregnant/getting someone pregnant (55% Strongly Agree; 26.5% Agree) acquiring or infecting others with STI including HIV and AIDS: I worry about the risk of getting sexually transmitted infections (STI) including HIV/AIDS. (64% Strongly Agree, 21.7% Agree) I worry about the risk of infecting others of sexually transmitted infections (STI) including HIV/AIDS. (56% Strongly Agree, 22% Agree) inability to finish school (49.7% Strongly Agree, 25.3% Agree) parental separation (45.9% Strongly Agree, 23.7% Agree)

ON FREEDOM AND INDIVIDUALITY The respondents had conservative perceptions about their bodies: People our age can do anything they want with their body (e.g. tattoo, body piercing). (37.1% Disagree, 47.8% Strongly Disagree) The respondents respected their parents rules: People our age can go home at any time they please. (45.1% Disagree, 35.8% Strongly Disagree) They viewed smoking and drinking alcohol as not normal for people their age.

Metro Manila teens more conservative than you think: Baseline Online Survey Results from Foundation for Adolescent Developments Dare to Ask Symposium Series By Regina Layug Rosero for Mulat Pinoy Smoking is normal for people our age. (26.3% Disagree, 59% Strongly Disagree) Drinking alcoholic drinks is normal for people our age. (29.1% Disagree, 40.4% Strongly Disagree)

ON RELATIONSHIPS Respondents disapproved of casual sexual encounters: Its okay to be involved in a sexual relationship with someone I hardly know (e.g., one night stand, eyeball dating, cyber sex). (21.3% Disagree, 69.4% Strongly Disagree) Respondents disapproved of same-sex relationships. A sexual relationship between two males is acceptable. (27.4% Disagree, 61.4% Strongly Disagree) A sexual relationship between two females is acceptable. (28.1% Disagree, 60.2% Strongly Disagree) Only half of the respondents felt that it was okay for teenagers to be involved in romantic relationships. Its okay for teenager to be involved in a relationship as long as it is not yet serious. (45.3% Agree, 29.2% Disagree) Teenagers should not be involved yet in romantic relationships. (38.2% Agree, 37.5% Disagree)

ON PREMARITAL SEX AND CONTRACEPTION The respondents seemed to retain traditional values about marriage and premarital sex. They disapproved of live-in arrangements (36.8% Disagree, 46.5% Strongly Disagree) They valued virginity in a future spouse (46.7% Strongly Agree, 35.2% Agree) They disapproved of premarital sex, especially for women

Metro Manila teens more conservative than you think: Baseline Online Survey Results from Foundation for Adolescent Developments Dare to Ask Symposium Series By Regina Layug Rosero for Mulat Pinoy It is alright for a woman to have sexual intercourse before marriage. (35% Disagree, 48.5% Strongly Disagree) It is alright for a man to have sexual intercourse before marriage. (33.3% Disagree, 43.2% Strongly Disagree)

ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT The respondents displayed impressive maturity in their choices on population and development statements. The respondents believed that men and women share the responsibility of planning a family. (76.2% Strongly Agree, 22.7% Agree, 1.0% Disagree, 0.2% Strongly Disagree) They were concerned about the environment and how it would affect them directly. I feel threatened about the future because of the state of our environment (e.g. air pollution, flooding, landslide, reduced food production). (59.6% Strongly Agree, 36.3% Agree) They also realized that a growing population is a problem for a world with finite resources. I worry about the growing number of our population. (55.5% Strongly Agree, 39.1% Agree) I worry that I have to compete with many individuals over limited resources. (28.4% Strongly Agree, 51.3% Agree)

Some of the survey findings showed an interesting difference of opinion among genders and age brackets: Male respondents were significantly more accepting of live-in arrangements than the females. In the survey, 23.5% of the males strongly agree/agree to the statement, It is alright for unmarried people to live together even if they have no plans to marry, whereas it was only 10.6% among the females.

Metro Manila teens more conservative than you think: Baseline Online Survey Results from Foundation for Adolescent Developments Dare to Ask Symposium Series By Regina Layug Rosero for Mulat Pinoy

Living-in was more acceptable among older respondents than among their younger counterparts. Among respondents 20 years old and above, 28.6% strongly agreed/agreed that It is alright for unmarried people to live together even if they have no plans to marry while only half of this figure (14.4%) thought so among their younger counterparts.

Metro Manila teens more conservative than you think: Baseline Online Survey Results from Foundation for Adolescent Developments Dare to Ask Symposium Series By Regina Layug Rosero for Mulat Pinoy

The older an individual becomes, the more comfortable s/he is in talking to a Guidance Counselor about an emotional problem. 52.9% of the respondents below 20 years old strongly agree/agree to the statement I feel comfortable talking to a Guidance Counselor when I have an emotional problem, but higher at 58.4% among respondents 20 years old and above. Opposition to premarital sex weakens as an individual gets older. The percentage who strongly disagreed/disagreed that It is alright for a woman to have sexual intercourse before marriage was 86.3% among students below 20 years old, but decreased to 69.1% among students 20 years old and above. Those who strongly disagreed/disagreed that It is alright for a man to have sexual intercourse before marriage comprised 79.9% among the below-20-year-old respondents, but that value dropped to 58.7% among those above 20 years old.

Based on these surveys, Ms. Villa and Ms. Marquez concluded that todays college students, from middle income families: Believe in the joint responsibility of the man and the woman to plan their future family, and they have the strong will to do so;

Metro Manila teens more conservative than you think: Baseline Online Survey Results from Foundation for Adolescent Developments Dare to Ask Symposium Series By Regina Layug Rosero for Mulat Pinoy Are highly aware and recognize their sexual and reproductive health risks and vulnerabilities such as unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, HIV and AIDS; Are open and willing to seek professional help for emotional and medical issues, concerns and problems; Have a strong sense of accountability and responsibility in relation to their freedom and independence; Still give high premium on virginity although opposition towards premarital sex weakens as one grows older; Are concerned with the state of our population and the environment and see themselves as competing over limited resources; and Have plans and the will to find work abroad.