The Top 3 Adulting Topics Pinoy Millennials Search for on Google

Google Philippines recently released data on what Filipino millennials search for on their platform. According to the study, the top 3 “adulting” categories, or topics that are related to what millennials perceive as “adult-decisions” are finance, vehicles, and real estate.

Loans and Credit Cards (+24%)

This comes as no surprise. The need for credit cards has never been more pressing for Filipinos because it empowers them to buy experiences. With all the seat sales happening there’s pressure to be able to book flights online so that they can fly with their friends to some corner of the world for a weekend trip. Apart from experiences, there’s also the need to pay for digital products and services like Spotify, Netflix, and other related applications from Google Play and the App Store.

Vehicles (+17%)

Now this is a surprise for me. A lot of young Filipino professionals I’ve talked to in the last few months have repeatedly said that they had no plans of buying their own car because of three things: insane daily traffic especially in main roads such as EDSA, the money needed for maintenance, and the proliferation of ride-sharing applications such as Uber, Grab, and Wunder. It looks like that there’s still a significant number of Filipino millennials who don’t subscribe to that thinking and they prefer to own their own vehicle still.

It would have been interesting if Google also shared which automotive brands were most searched. My bet is still Toyota and Honda here in the Philippines.

Real Estate (+16%)

Last, but definitely not the least, are search queries about real estate properties. This is a mix of townhouses, houses, and condominiums. The study doesn’t qualify if it’s searches for rent or purchase but my bet is that it’s a good mix between the two. The bad traffic makes living near one’s office so much more enticing and the proliferation of condo units in major business districts, especially in Fort, Makati, and Ortigas, makes halfway houses reasonable.

On the buying side, apart from the condos there are new properties being put up by reputable companies in different cities in the South and North. The price tags are still within reach for young professionals.