SWS: Catching COVID-19 worries 91% of Pinoys but 5% not worried

MANILA, Philippines — More Filipinos said they were worried about catching the new coronavirus, almost a year after the first cluster of cases was reported in China, results of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

The survey, the first to be done through in-person interviews since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, was conducted among 1,500 adults from Nov. 21 to Nov. 25.

SWS found that a record-high number of 91 percent of Filipinos are worried that anyone in their immediate family might catch the coronavirus, with 77 percent “worried a great deal” and 14 percent “somewhat worried.” The remaining 5 percent are not worried while 3 percent are a little worried.

The latest figure surpassed the 87 percent worried about catching COVID-19, recorded in May last year, and was up six points from the 85 percent in September.

Worry about getting infected was greater than the worry about previous viruses like Ebola, swine flu, bird flu and severe acute respiratory syndrome.

According to SWS, Filipinos are more worried about contracting the coronavirus than Americans, with only 59 percent of Americans worried based on the November survey of Gallup.

Worry about catching the virus rose in all areas, with the highest percentage in the Visayas at 96 percent. It was followed by Mindanao at 95 percent, Luzon outside Metro Manila at 89 percent and Metro Manila at 85 percent.

Among women, worry about contracting COVID-19 rose from 84 percent in September to 93 percent in November. Worry was also up among men from 85 percent to 90 percent.

Worry increased across all educational levels and age groups except among those aged 18 to 24 years old.

The survey had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.5 percent. —Inquirer Research