Social Weather Stations
28 October 2005

4.5 MILLION MEN AND WOMEN PLAY BILLIARDS REGULARLY and
4 MILLION ALWAYS WATCH IT ON TV

BILLIARDS is a truly mass sport in the Philippines, with at least 4.5 million regular players and an assured TV audience of at least 4 million, based on the Social Weather Survey for the Third Quarter of 2005.

These figures result from multiplying the national population of 50.4 million adults by the nationwide SWS survey findings of 9% who played billiards within the last 30 days and 8% saying they always watch it on TV.

Full totals of billiards aficionados in the Philippines would be larger since the SWS survey covered only adult men/women, and excluded boys/girls aged 17 and below:

MALE-DOMINATED

Although playing it requires only moderate physical strength, billiards is distinctly male-dominated, with 84% of Filipino men knowing it and 57% having played it themselves at some time, compared to 65% of Filipino women knowing it and only15% ever having played it.

Men who have ever played billiards are 72% in Metro Manila, 58% in Balance Luzon, 57% in Visayas, and 43% in Mindanao. In comparison, women who have tried billiards are 19% in Balance Luzon, 16% in Visayas, 13% in Metro Manila, and 9% in Mindanao.

A SPORT FOR ALL CLASSES

Billiards is popular in all social and educational groups, and more so in the upper ones, contrary to the stereotype of decades ago.

Among men, 64% of ABCs, 57% of Ds, and 51% of Es have experienced playing billiards at some time. Among women, the proportions are 26%, 16% and 8% in the three socio-economic classes respectively.
For both men and women, the higher the level of schooling, the higher the proportions who have played billiards. Seven of every ten male college graduates, and three of every ten female college graduates, have tried the game at some time.

GROWING POPULARITY

Rapid growth in the popularity of billiards over time is seen in the great difference between age-groups in experience with the game.

Seventy-one percent of men aged 18-34 have played billiards at some time, compared to only 38% among men aged 55 and up. Twenty-two percent of women aged 18-34 have tried the game at some time, compared to only 5% among those aged 55 and up.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

When asked when, if ever, was the last time they played billiards, 15% of men and 3% of women said it was in the last 30 days. These more or less regular players number about 4.5 million, divided into 3.7 million men and 800 thousand women.
Ten percent of men and 2% of women last played within the past 6 months, 9% of men and 2% of women last played within the past 12 months, and 23% of men and 7% of women last played over 12 months ago.

The estimated total number of adults who last played billiards between 1 and 12 months ago is 10.4 million. Thus in any single month the probable total number of adult players would be the 4.5 million regulars plus some portion of the other 5.9 million adults who play less often than monthly. This does not count youth players below age 18, for whom estimates are not yet available.

TV AUDIENCE

When asked how often, if ever, they watch billiards on television, 8% of the survey respondents, men and women combined, said Always, 10% said Often, 33% said Sometimes, and 14% said they Don't Watch Billiards, for a total of 65% who noticed a billiards program and thus had a choice of watching it.

The balance of 35% consists of 5% who never noticed such a program, 5% who never watch TV, and 25% who don't know the game.

The estimated total number of adults watching billiards Always is 4.1 million, watching it Often is 5.0 million, and watching it Sometimes is 16.6 million, which adds up to a potential 25.7 million adult television audience. This does not count the audience among youth below age 18, for whom estimates are not yet available.

SURVEY BACKGROUND

The Third Quarter 2005 Social Weather Survey was done on August 26-September 5, using face-to-face interviews of a national sample of 1,200 statistically representative adults divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages and ±6% for area percentages).

The items described in this release were included pro bono by SWS upon the request of the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines, organizer of billiards events for the coming Southeast Asian Games hosted by the Philippines in November 2005.