51% of Filipinos believe drug suspects can still change—SWS

Shabu. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Majority of Filipinos disagree with the notion that people involved in illegal drugs no longer have the capacity to change, but fewer people are at odds with the view that it is right to kill drug users and pushers, a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

In the 2017 Third Quarter Social Weather Survey poll revealed Tuesday night, more than half or 51 percent of Filipinos surveyed do not agree with the statement that “persons who use drugs or are involved in the illegal drug trade do not have the capacity to change anymore” while 28 percent agree and 20 percent are undecided.

The net agreement score was “moderately weak” among most areas: Mindanao with -28 (22 percent agree, 50 percent disagree), followed by Metro Manila at -26 (30 percent agree, 56 percent disagree), and Balance Luzon at -25 (28 percent agree, 53 percent disagree); while it posted “neutral” in Visayas at -8 (35 percent agree, 43 percent disagree).

The survey conducted on September 23 to 27 had face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults nationwide – 600 in Balance Luzon and 300 each in Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao.

It has a sampling error margin of plus-minus 3 percent for national percentages, plus-minus 4 percent for Balance Luzon, and plus-minus 6 percent for the rest of the areas.

On the other hand, the split on the opinion that “it is right that persons who use drugs or are involved in the illegal drug trade are killed” are close: 42 percent disagree with the statement while 39 percent agree. The remaining 19 percent are undecided.

The net agreement score was “neutral” among all areas: it was +3 in Mindanao, net zero in the Visayas, -1 in Metro Manila, and -8 in Balance Luzon.

Three out of five of Filipino adults surveyed also disagree with giving cash rewards to cops for every drug suspect they kill.

Nationwide, 65% disagree with the statement: “It is right for policemen to be given cash rewards for every person they kill who are allegedly using illegal drugs or involved in the illegal drug trade” while the remaining 15 percent agree, and 20 percent are undecided.

Net agreement on the statemenet was was lowest in Metro Manila, at an extremely weak score of -58 (15 percent agree, 73 percent disagree), and Balance Luzon, also an extremely weak -58 (12 percent agree, 69 percent disagree).

This is followed by Visayas at a very weak score of -40 (19 percent agree, 59 percent disagree), and Mindanao at a very weak rate of -39 (17 percent agree, 56 percent disagree). /cbb