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MANILA, Philippines — Nearly 60 percent of Filipinos who were respondents to a recent survey said that 2023 was a bad year for them and their families, reflecting a bleak sentiment that is about a tenth higher than the global average.
This was according to the results of a poll by French market research company Ipsos among 34 countries covered by the survey conducted last October to November, where the percentage of respondents in the Philippines who agreed to the statement was at 59 percent.
The same survey also showed the number of Filipinos who thought that 2023 was also a bad year for the country was even higher, with 66 percent of respondents citing this sentiment.
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Lower than global average
This outlook for the country by Filipinos is lower than the global average of 70 percent, with it being the highest in countries such as Argentina, Sweden, Turkey, Great Britain, and Portugal where it ranged from 82 percent to 88 percent.
86% optimistic of 2024
Despite these results, 86 percent of Filipinos in the survey said they were optimistic that 2024 will be a better year, landing the Southeast Asian nation in the top five countries where this outlook is at the highest.
Indonesia had the highest percentage of people with this sentiment at 91 percent. It was followed by India, Mexico, and China, which all had 87 percent.
The Philippines also ranked 4th among these countries, which believe that the global economy will be stronger in 2024, with 74 percent of respondents expressing this outlook.
Still, a huge portion of Filipinos — 82 percent to be exact — believe that prices will increase faster than people’s income in the same year, while 79 percent said that inflation will become higher in the Philippines in 2024.
The number of Filipinos who also believed that unemployment would be higher in 2024 was seen at 72 percent, almost the same level as the 73 percent who said artificial intelligence will cause many job losses in the near future.