8 in 10 Filipinos confident in results of 2025 election – Octa survey

University of the Philippines professor Ranjit Rye, OCTA Research fellow, joins the Pandesal Forum in this file photo taken on July 19, 2002, via Zoom. (Photo from a livestream posted on Facebook by the Kamuning Bakery Cafe)

MANILA, Philippines — A recent Octa Research survey found that eight out of 10 Filipinos are confident that the results of the May 2025 national and local elections were “accurate and credible.”

This is according to Octa Research’s Tugon ng Masa, which surveyed 1,200 adult Filipinos nationwide from July 12 to 17. The polling firm presented the results to the media and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday.

The 2025 midterm elections recorded the highest voter turnout in Philippine election history, at 82.20 percent, with 57,350,968 out of 69,673,653 registered voters participating.

The noncommissioned survey showed that 83 percent (or eight out of 10) of surveyed adult Filipinos trust the election results, while 4 percent expressed distrust and 14 percent were ambivalent.

Among age groups, those aged 75 and up and those aged 45 to 54 logged trust ratings of 87 percent and 78 percent, respectively. Ambivalence ranged from 10 percent among 55- to 64-year-olds to 18 percent among those aged 18 to 24.

The polling firm also noted that trust was high in Central Visayas (99 percent); Mimaropa (97 percent); Bicol Region (94 percent); Negros Island Region (91 percent); and Zamboanga. Meanwhile, Caraga posted a slightly lower trust rating at 39 percent, and the Cordillera Administrative Region at 24 percent.

READ: What led to the high voter turnout on May 12?

Octa Research said that while most Filipinos trust the electoral process and results despite political divisions and intense campaigns, “the 14% who remain ambivalent and the 4% who express distrust highlight areas that require attention.”

With this, the firm recommended that “[t]hese groups underscore the continuing need to improve transparency in the electoral process, strengthen voter education, and guard against disinformation that could weaken trust in the future elections.”

During a presentation on Wednesday, University of the Philippines professor and Octa Research fellow Ranjit Rye said that ambivalence “is a big challenge” and may be caused by misinformation and disinformation.

Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia welcomed this recommendation, emphasizing that voter education is important in encouraging Filipinos to vote.

“There is no greater kind of voter [education] than registration and encouraging others to register as voters,” Garcia said in Filipino during a separate ambush interview.

How Filipinos view Comelec, ACMs’ roles in 2025 midterm elections

The survey also found that 64 percent of Filipinos “agree that Comelec was able to ensure free, fair, and credible national and local elections in 2025,” while 4 percent disagreed and 33 percent remained neutral.

A majority of respondents (79 percent) also said the Comelec must identify ways to prevent cheating in the next elections. The firm noted that this “underscores that for most voters, electoral credibility is closely tied to the assurance that the process is protected from fraud or manipulation.”

READ: Comelec to IOM: No voter disenfranchisement in May polls

This was acknowledged by Garcia, who pointed out that vote buying is the number one form of election cheating. He said the poll body will focus on cracking down on vote buying incidents, reiterating its call to Congress to amend election offenses to address the illegal practice.

Aside from this, 96 percent of voters expressed confidence in the automated counting machines (ACMs), saying that casting votes was easy because of the machines. The firm also noted that nine out of 10 registered voters want to continue the automated election system, citing “faster results, fewer errors, and greater transparency compared to manual elections.”

This was despite reports from election watchdogs of a surge in ACM glitches and malfunctions, noting that machines flagged “overvoting” even when only slight ink smudges appeared in oval shades.

The International Observer Mission earlier reported that malfunctioning ACMs, nullified votes, and vote mismatches led to voter disenfranchisement. Garcia disputed this, saying there was no disenfranchisement, as the poll body recorded the highest voter turnout in Philippine midterm election history. /jpv