MANILA, Philippines — Over 44 percent or only four out of 10 Filipino adults are expecting an improved quality of life in the next 12 months, Philippine-based polling firm Social Weather Stations said.
SWS conducted a survey from March 21 to 25, polling 1,500 Filipinos aged 18 and above.
According to the results, 44 percent of respondents expressed optimism that their quality of life would improve, while another 44 percent believed it would remain the same. Only seven percent anticipated a decline in their quality of life.
Of the participants, 600 were from Balance Luzon, with 300 each from Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.
SWS noted that the sampling error margins are ±2.5 percent for national percentages, ±4.0 percent for Balance Luzon, and ±5.7 percent each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Compared with the previous survey in December, the net personal optimism has slightly decreased from +39 to +37, however, both results were categorized as “very high.”
“Compared to December 2023, Net Personal Optimism fell from excellent to very high in Mindanao, down by 11 points from +43 to +32. It stayed excellent in Metro Manila, although down by 5 points from +47 to +42,” SWS said in its report.
The report also said that in the Visayas, optimism remained high but decreased from +27 to +24. Meanwhile, in Balance Luzon, optimism remained “excellent” and increased by four points from +40 to +44.
Additionally, SWS reported that 46 percent of Filipino families perceive themselves as poor, while 30 percent consider themselves “borderline,” straddling the line between poor and not poor. Meanwhile, 23 percent of families described themselves as not poor.
Regarding net personal optimism, adults who identified as “not poor” exhibited the highest score at +49, followed by those in the “borderline” category at +43, and the lowest optimism was recorded among adults who considered themselves “poor” at +28.
SWS also noted an increase in net personal optimism among college graduates or individuals with postgraduate studies, rising from +38 to +44.
