SWS: More Filipinos see better times in 2020

More Filipinos have remained optimistic over the country’s economy this year, even if the country’s growth last year was the slowest in eight years, a Social Weather Station (SWS) survey indicated.

The survey, conducted from Dec. 13 to 16 last year, also found that more Filipinos claimed that the quality of their lives had improved over the past year and that they expected better personal lives in 2020.

The government reported this month that the Philippine economy had expanded by 5.9 percent last year, the slowest pace since 2011, and slightly below the low-end of the 6.0-6.5 percent revised government target for 2019.

In its survey, the SWS said 47 percent of its 1,200 respondents expressed optimism about the economy in the next 12 months, up from 41 percent in September.

The proportion of those who were pessimistic about the economy went down from 12 to 9 percent, resulting in a net economic optimists score (economic optimists minus economic pessimists) of “excellent” +38, 10 points higher than September’s +28, also considered excellent.

Net economic optimism increased in all areas, from +34 to +39 in Metro Manila, +23 to +37 in Luzon outside Metro Manila, +23 to +33 in the Visayas, and +40 to +44 in Mindanao.Nearly half or 48 percent, remained optimistic that their personal life would improve in the next 12 months, as against 4 percent who said it would get worse. —INQUIRER RESEARCH