Aquino gov’t enjoys highest satisfaction rating in 21 months—SWS poll

President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

As President Benigno Aquino III nears the end of his term, the satisfaction rating toward the national government remains steady, the results of a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The survey, which was first published on BusinessWorld on Thursday, revealed that satisfaction with the performance of the national government is at +39, the highest rating that the government has obtained in nearly two years.

About 61 percent of the total 1,200 respondents said that they were satisfied with the performance of the administration, 23 percent said they were dissatisfied while 16 percent said they were undecided.

The +39 rating of the government was two points higher than last September’s rating and has been the highest since the +45 rating that the administration achieved on March 2014.

READ: SWS: Aquino satisfaction rating dips in Q4

Meanwhile, the Aquino administration got a “good” rating in four issues: helping the poor, foreign relations, promoting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers and defending the country’s territorial rights; and a “moderate” rating in restoring peace in Mindanao.

Respondents were neutral regarding the government’s response to eight issues (fighting terrorism, rehabilitating areas damaged by conflict in Mindanao, reconciliation with Muslim rebels, fighting crimes, ensuring that no family will ever be hungry, reconciliation with communist rebels, eradication of graft and corruption, and fighting inflation) while the government got a “very bad” rating in resolving the Maguindanao massacre.

READ: SWS: 35% of Filipinos see successful Aquino term

The survey was conducted from December 5 to 8 with sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. CDG