More Filipino families moved out of poverty in 2017–SWS

Around a third of Filipino families have moved out of poverty, about twice as many as those who have slid into poverty, according to the Fourth Quarter 2017 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

Results of the survey, conducted from Dec. 8 to 16, also showed that of the 10 families who rated themselves poor in the fourth quarter of 2017, seven had always been poor while 2 in 5 of those who considered themselves “nonpoor” had never experienced poverty.

Of the 31 percent who have gotten out of poverty, 17 percent are “usually nonpoor,” or those who had been poor five or so years ago, and 14 percent are “newly nonpoor,” or those who used to be poor one to four years ago.

The rest of the self-rated nonpoor—25.1 percent—are those who had never been poor before or “always nonpoor.”

SWS had earlier reported the results of its self-rated poverty survey that showed 44 percent, or 10 million families, rated themselves poor in the last quarter of 2017, down from 47 percent, or 10.9 million, in the previous quarter.

Of the 44 percent poor families, 31 percent had always been poor, 7 percent fell into poverty five or so years ago, and another 6 percent sank into poverty one to four years ago.

SWS said that the percentage of “newly nonpoor” families in December was the highest since the 13.8 percent in December 2014, when the question on transitioning in and out of poverty was first asked.

Highest rate recorded

At the time, self-rated poverty was at 52 percent, with 30 percent of the families saying they had always been poor and 21 percent had experienced being nonpoor in the past. Of the 21 percent, about half, or 10.7 percent, were non-poor one to four years previous—the highest rate recorded so far among “newly poor.”

In September 2016, when self-rated poverty was at its lowest in three years at 42 percent, SWS recorded the highest rate of families who were “always nonpoor” at 29.8 percent. This was the only quarter when the “always nonpoor” outnumbered those who were “always poor” (28.9 percent).

The survey, which interviewed 1,200 adults, had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.5 percentage points nationwide. —INQUIRER RESEARCH