SWS: Fewer Filipinos experienced hunger in Q4 of 2015

The number of Filipinos who reported that they have experienced involuntary hunger has decreased during the last quarter of 2015, the results of a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The poll, which was conducted from December 5-8 with 1,200 adult respondents, showed that fewer Filipinos experienced hunger in the National Capital Region, Balance Luzon and Mindanao. However, a slight increase of hunger incidence was recorded in the Visayas.

The survey showed that 11.7 percent of respondents, or an estimated 2.6 million families, had nothing to eat at least once during the last three months of 2015. The new number is a four-point drop from September 2015’s 14.1 percent or an estimated 3.5 million families.

SWS posed the poll question to household heads which said: “In the last 3 months, did it happen even once that your family experienced hunger and not have anything to eat? (YES, NO)” Those who said that they experienced hunger were then asked: “Did it happen ‘ONLY ONCE,’ ‘A FEW TIMES,’ ‘OFTEN,’ or ‘ALWAYS’?”

While the average rate of hunger incidence for the fourth quarter of 2015 decreased, the number of Filipinos who felt severe hunger went up—from September 2015’s 1.6 percent to December 2015’s 2.8 percent.

The pollster, meanwhile, also noted that the average rate of hunger incidence for 2015—which is 13.4 percent—has been the lowest since the 11.8 percent average recorded in 2004.

The survey qualifies the respondents who experienced “moderate hunger” to those who went hungry “Only Once” or “A Few Times” during the past three months while “severe hunger” means that the respondents experienced hunger “Often” or “Always” during the last three months.
The survey has sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.