Discover what matters most to our community — from cultural connection to wellbeing support — in the key findings of the Tinig UK 2026 Readers’ Survey.
By Liezel Longboan
For Tinig UK readers, community comes first. In a recent survey designed to understand our audience’s evolving needs, readers identified connecting with fellow Filipinos and East and Southeast Asians as their main concern. Even amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the articles they value most centre on Philippine culture, with a strong demand for stories exploring what it means to be both Filipino and British.
These responses reflect a growing demand for human connection, personal agency and wellbeing. Beyond simply keeping up with the news, our audience is actively seeking content that fosters a true sense of belonging and empowers them to navigate their daily lives.
2026 Tinig UK Readers' Survey
Between February and March 2026, Tinig UK invited readers to complete a snapshot survey about their interests, experiences, and needs. While our pool of 25 respondents is not a statistically exhaustive sample, it serves as an excellent exploratory tool. Respondents came from a wide variety of backgrounds, life stages, and UK regions.
Who we heard from
Our survey captured insights from 25 respondents (13 female, 12 male), providing a valuable look at the makeup of our readership. Here is a quick breakdown of who took part:
- Age and location: Our respondents are primarily mid-career adults, with the vast majority (20) falling evenly between the ages of 35 and 54. Geographically, they are largely concentrated in London (9) and the surrounding South East (7) and South West (5), alongside a few voices from the West Midlands (3) and the North West (1).
- Roots and heritage: The core of our readership consists of first-generation immigrants, with 16 respondents having relocated to the UK as adults and four arriving as children. The group also includes one UK-born individual of Filipino descent, as well as four non-Filipinos who maintain strong personal or family ties to the Philippines.
- Employment status: Our readers are highly active in the workforce and entrepreneurial spaces. Sixteen respondents are currently employed (full-time or part-time), and four are business owners. The remaining participants include dedicated carers, a student, a jobseeker, and those currently out of work.
Combined with in-depth interviews from active Filipino community (Filcom) leaders, these responses highlight recurring themes that will guide Tinig UK’s future work.
1) Key findings: What readers want and need
High satisfaction and a craving for culture
Overall, Tinig UK’s content is highly regarded. When asked to rate the usefulness of our content on a scale of 1 to 5, the vast majority scored it highly (16 respondents gave a 4 or 5). Readers also showed a strong willingness to share our content, with 17 respondents rating their likelihood to share as a 4 or 5.
What surprised us most was the specific content readers found most valuable. When asked to select the top three most useful content types or services, the top choices were: Philippine culture and heritage (17), workshops and training (11) and resource guides covering parenting, immigration, wellbeing, and employment (10).
Readers’ main challenges
Navigating life in the UK presents a mix of economic and social hurdles. When asked about their biggest daily challenges, readers identified:
- Managing the cost of living (12)
- Connecting with local Filipinos and East/Southeast Asians (12)
- Career development and professional growth (6)
- Finding business support or guidance (5)
- Managing family life (4)
The results indicate how content around culture, heritage and belonging are highly valued and needed by respondents. This sentiment speaks to the recent Reuters Institute Digital Report which found that in the UK and globally, audiences are unhappy with the coverage of immigration by the media.
To explore this desire for connection, we asked Filcom leaders how their groups bring Filipinos together. We also sat down with entrepreneurs to learn where they find trusted business advice. Looking ahead, our next piece will dive into the practical realities our readers face, from navigating the cost of living and career growth to balancing family life in the UK.
2) Filipinos' need for cultural belonging
There are at least 200 Filipino community (Filcom) groups registered with the Philippine Embassy in London, organised around hometowns, faiths, professions, ethnicities, or student societies. Interviews with Filcom leaders reveal that their activities show a desire among Filipinos to celebrate heritage and access crucial wellbeing support.
For Chris Rudio, 45, who describes himself as community organiser of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) UK, this engagement is a necessity.
“Cultural engagement is not something we do by choice but by circumstance. Pare-pareho tayo ng gusto dahil nasa ibang bansa tayo. Kailangan ma-retain ng mga anak natin yung culture,” (We all want the same thing because we live overseas. We’d like our children to retain our culture.), Chris, data officer for the Bank of New York, explains.
A safe space for professionals
Social events go beyond meeting Filipinos’ need to be with others to relax and converse in Filipino. These gatherings provide vital emotional support, professional networking and a bridge to philanthropic work back home.
According to Chris, UPAA hosts a popular monthly “tambay session” (hangout session) in London where members meet for dinner and drinks after work during the week. Chris says these meet-ups serve as an essential de-stressing activity.
“It’s hard to complain about your boss (at work). It’s hard to speak in English when you’re frustrated,” Chris explains. “You join if you just want someone to listen to you. No judgment.”
Relationship-building is key
Also known as Gloucestershire Pinoys, Filipino Association of Gloucestershire (FAG) shows how members want to connect with non-Filipinos in the county.
FAG serves as an umbrella organisation for all smaller Filipino groups in the county. FAG chairperon Raymond Padilla, 55, says that the group may be the oldest Filcom group outside of London. Founded in 1981, it has around 3,000 members with no formal registration required for membership.
Raymond explains that instances of illness or bereavement are handled on a case-by-case basis to ensure privacy. “Offering help to people needs to be done in a sensitive way,” he notes. “During Covid, we knew who were affected, but when we visited them, they didn’t want to acknowledge they had it, perhaps because of the stigma attached to it at that time.”
While internal community support is vital, Padilla — ward manager at the Worcester Royal Hospital and former town councillor — is a firm believer in building relationships with the wider British public. For the past three years, the organisation has hosted Filipino Heritage Day in Gloucester’s public square to foster connection.
“We need to co-exist with others, we need to integrate. We have to be seen ‘cos if we don’t integrate, we will always be excluded,” Raymond stresses.
“It’s also important to nurture your relationship with the Philippine Embassy. They have been to Gloucester for consular outreach three times already. They need partners on the ground to help with their work,” he says.
Hometown connections
Chloe Masilungan, 45, president of Batangas Association and waiting list manager at Great Ormond Street Hospital, notes that members join the group because they want to continue having a connection with their hometown in the Philippines.
“They see the projects that we do, so they know they are helping. Some join because of socialising especially if they have not been in the UK for a long time. It is also nice for them to meet other people from Batangas.”
Founded in 1993 by Chloe’s dad, Julian “Jun” Masilungan, Batangas Association has some 300 registered members who come from the province of Batangas in southern Luzon.
While the majority of members are between their 40s and 70s, the group is highly involved in philanthropy. Their projects include funding allowances for college students in Batangas, distributing Christmas hampers for selected towns and supporting an elderly home in Tanauan.
3) Support to do business in the UK
Beyond company registration, our interviews confirm Filipino entrepreneurs’ need for reliable business support and guidance.
For Michael Sanchez, a 54-year-old IT and automation services owner, starting a business and registering a company in the UK has proved relatively straightforward. However, he says that day-to-day operations present unique obstacles, noting that sales and marketing prove far more demanding than the initial setup.
“I had to do my own research when it came to sales and marketing. What would be helpful for me are articles on how to grow my business.” He is also considering going into UK-Philippines import-export business in the future and says he would like guidance on this.
Mervin Dave Miguel, 32, director of the restaurant chain D’Cocina, shares that after two years of running their business, they realised they needed expert advice on scaling it as a franchise.
“We spoke with connections in a similar industry in the Philippines and in the UK which helped us a lot,” says Dave. Today, they have created a private network of D’Cocina investors who are also mostly business owners. Some of them are lawyer and accountants and the group has turned into a support network for running their own businesses.
“You’ll never be prepared in starting a business. The best thing to do is to start one and adapt,” Dave advises.
Need for expert guidance and advice
Entrepreneurs need guidance as they invest significant effort into understanding UK business regulations. International lawyer Aimee Alado-Blake, 55, works with big corporations as well as sole owners to establish their UK businesses and meet regulatory requirements. She stresses that time is a start-up’s most precious and scarce resource.
“Doing it on your own is like self-medication. Why do it when you can go to a doctor?” she says.
While Aimee acknowledges that expert advice can be costly for early-stage founders, she recommends Filipinos check out a few organisations that offer excellent advice and support:
Federation of Small Businesses: Provides expert advice, financial expertise and policyadvocacy.
- Small Business Britain: Organises events, nationwide campaigns and training.
- The government’s Business Department: Offers comprehensive guidance for starting, running and scaling a business.
- Enterprise Nation: Connects start-ups with essential resources, expertise and networking opportunities to fuel growth.
“Trade and law binds us all,” says Aimee, chair of the ASEAN UK Business Forum (AUBF), a non-profit organisation that aims to promote trade between Southeast Asian countries and the UK. She highlights the broader value of commercial ties, noting that trade serves as a bridge for promoting tourism, culture and cooperation.
4. Future directions for Tinig UK
Looking ahead, we also asked our readers what new content they would like to read. Their suggestions reveal the diverse information needs of Filipinos as they go through different phases of their lives in the UK:
- Cultural engagement and representation: Content that explores identity, specifically the unique intersection of the British and Filipino experiences, helping readers feel more connected, regardless of where they live in the UK.
- Community support and wellbeing: Deeper support systems, including mental health resources, domestic abuse support for women, and dedicated legal and welfare guidance for undocumented Filipinos.
- Personal development in modern formats: Accessible empowerment tools, such as youth workshops and community seminars, delivered via modern formats like short-form podcasts or reel-style videos.
- Retirement planning: Targeted financial content for older demographics preparing to retire in the UK, focusing on pensions, savings, and managing inflation.
As we enter our next chapter, Tinig UK aims to collaborate more closely with Filipino and East and Southeast Asian associations and charities to reflect the realities, celebrate the culture, and champion the evolving needs of the Filipino and ESEA communities in the UK.
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About the author
Liezel Longboan
Liezel works in the intersections of research, journalism and community engagement to explore voice and agency among marginalised groups. She has a PhD in media and comunication from Cardiff University funded by the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Programme. She is also the founder of Tinig UK, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering Filipinos and East and Southeast Asians through reliable information and community advocacy.
