Marcos approval ratings improve despite prices

PH PRESIDENT FERDINAND MARCOS JR. composite image from Inquirer file photos

Public satisfaction with the performance of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., generally improved in the second quarter after dropping to its lowest level in March due to an upswing in the cost of living, according to the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The survey, conducted from June 23 to July 1, found that 55 percent of adult Filipinos said they were satisfied with the President’s performance, while 28 percent were dissatisfied and 15 percent were undecided.

The net satisfaction rating is the difference between the satisfied and dissatisfied respondents and SWS classifies a net satisfaction rating of +27 as “moderate.”

But the uptick in the President’s approval rating remained a far cry from the +69 percent average approval rating during his first three months in office after garnering a historic 31.6 million votes in the 2022 election.

In his second year in office, Mr. Marcos garnered an average approval rating of +51 percent. So far, he has an average rating of +48 percent this year.

Compared to the March 2024 survey, Mr. Marcos’ gross satisfaction increased by five percentage points from 50 percent, while his net satisfaction rating increased by seven points from +20, classified as “moderate.” It, however, remains lower than the December 2023 satisfactory rating of +47, classified as “good.”

Also notable was the sharp increase in Mr. Marcos’ net satisfaction rating in Mindanao (+5 from -19) and Visayas (+26 from +9). The survey was conducted after Vice President Sara Duterte resigned from the Cabinet on June 19.

While his net satisfaction rating hardly changed in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, they remained “good” at +38 outside Metro Manila and +30 in Metro Manila.

Other survey questions

The survey had parameters typical of earlier SWS surveys. They used in-person interviews among 1,500 adults nationwide with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.5 percent for national percentages, plus-or-minus 4 percent for Luzon outside Metro Manila, and plus-or-minus 5.7 percent each for Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao.

READ: Marcos’ net satisfaction rating rises in June – SWS

Participants were asked how many promises of Mr. Marcos could be fulfilled. Nearly half of those polled, or 48 percent, expected “a few” of the President’s promises to be fulfilled, while 17 percent expected “most” and 23 percent expected “almost none or none.” Only nine percent expected “all or nearly all” of the President’s promises to be fulfilled.

On the other hand, participants were also asked about how much benefit the Philippines gets from Mr. Marcos’ country visits. A third, or 34 percent, of Filipinos answered “little benefits,” while 17 percent said “almost no benefit at all.” Only eight percent said there are many benefits from Mr. Marcos’ visits to other countries. —INQUIRER RESEARCH