An Intergenerational Analysis of Filipino Attitudes towards Cultural Minority Groups in the City of Manila

Rapanot, C.E.A. (2018). An Intergenerational Analysis of Filipino Attitudes towards Cultural Minority Groups in the City of Manila. Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines, College of Mass Communication.

This study looks into the communication accommodation behaviors of majority Filipinos with Chinese, Indians, and Muslims in the City of Manila. The specified groups are regarded as minorities mainly by population, and have been chosen for the study because of their significant presence in Philippine society. The study utilized a modified measure of social distance and the indigenous research method of pakikipagkwentuhan to delineate the current landscape of intercultural interaction between Filipinos and the aforementioned groups. Data were collected and analyzed following a framework that fuses Giles’ Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) and concepts from Sikolohiyang Pilipino (SP). Survey respondents and interview informants, all currently residing in Manila, were distributed across three age brackets – young adults (15-24), early adults (25-45), and middle-aged adults (46-65) for intergenerational comparisons. The study found that survey respondents held the lowest social distance from the Chinese, followed by Indians and Muslims, respectively. Across age groups, the survey results revealed that young adults held the lowest social distances compared to other age groups. However, generational differences did not manifest among interview informants. They were generally pleasant towards members of the monfirty groups, and were in congenial relationships. The Filipino core value of kapwa – of treating the ‘other’ as equal to one’s self – was found to encompass communicative behavior.

Keywords: communication accommodation theory, social distance, cultural minorities, Manila

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