More families rate selves poor–SWS

Some 10.9 million households, or around one in every two families (54 percent), consider themselves “poor,” up from the estimated 9.5 million households (47 percent) in August, according to a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The results of the Fourth Quarter Social Weather Report, conducted from Dec. 8 to 11, also had 44 percent of households (8.9 million families) saying they were “food-poor,” up from 35 percent (7.2 million families) in the last survey period.

The respondents were asked: “Where would you place your family in this card?” The choices were “not poor,” “on the line” and “poor.”

The results came on the heels of another SWS survey released last week which showed that fewer people went hungry involuntarily in the last three months—down from 4.3 million families in August to 3.3 million in December.

Self-rated poverty worsened in Metro Manila (from 35 percent in August to 42 percent in December), from 38 percent to 43 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila, and from 57 percent to 72 percent in Mindanao. It was unmoved at 62 percent in the Visayas, from 63 percent in August.

Meanwhile, self-rated food-poverty worsened across all areas: From 24 percent to 28 percent in Metro Manila, from 29 percent to 34 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila, from 47 percent to 54 percent in the Visayas, and from 45 percent to 63 percent in Mindanao.

The survey showed that hunger was at 22.7 percent (17.3 percent moderate hunger, 5.4 percent severe hunger) among the self-rated poor, down from 30.6 percent (25.4 percent moderate hunger, 5.3 percent severe hunger) in August.  Inquirer Research