SWS: Pinoys still expecting the worst

MANILA, Philippines — Almost six months since the country recorded its first COVID-19 case in March, most Filipinos remained pessimistic about the quality of their lives over the next 12 months, the latest special Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

According to the survey, conducted from July 3 to 6 among 1,555 Filipinos at least 18 years old across the country, 30 percent expected the situation to stay the same while 36 percent expected life to get worse.

The result was an improvement from May when 43 percent of respondents expected their quality of life to worsen but it was still worse than the 34 percent who expected worse times in March 2005, the year the so-called “Hello Garci” scandal unraveled.

Only a fourth of the respondents, or 26 percent, were optimistic enough to expect their quality of life to improve in the next 12 months.

Malacañang expressed concern at the widespread pessimism but the government, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, had a plan in place to help the country recover.

“We hope to revitalize the economy and stimulate growth for the betterment of the lives of our people,” he added.

Net optimism was highest in Mindanao and Luzon outside Metro Manila both at “low” -5. This was followed by Metro Manila at “low” -9 and Visayas at “very low” -28.

The net optimism score was lowest among those whose quality of life worsened in the past year at “very low” -20, followed by those whose quality of life stayed the same at “high” +23 and those whose quality of life improved at “excellent” +40.

Net optimism is lower among those whose families experienced involuntary hunger at “very low” -28 than among those whose families did not at “low” -5. The score is even lower among those who experienced severe hunger (“often” and “always”) at “very low” -41 than among those who experienced moderate hunger (“only once” and “a few times”) at “very low” -23.

Those who did not receive financial assistance from the government got a lower net optimism score at “very low” -12 than those who got financial assistance at “low” -9.

—Reports from Inquirer Research and Leila B. Salaverria