For most Pinoys, going to market, church still risky

Nearly eight out of 10 Filipinos believe that going to grocery stores or markets is still risky to their health and well-being because of the threat of the novel coronavirus, while seven out of 10 have a similar anxiety when attending religious services and going to their workplaces, according to a recent survey of an opinion polling firm.

The special survey of Social Weather Stations found that 77 percent of its respondents considered it “very risky and “somewhat risky” for them to go to the grocery stores or markets, and 69 percent felt the threat of contracting COVID-19 in joining religious services.

Sixty percent of those with jobs said it was risky to go to their places of work right now.

The noncommissioned survey was conducted nationwide from Sept. 17 to 20 among 1,249 Filipinos aged at least 18 years old, who were interviewed using mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone. It had a sampling margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percent for national percentages.

By area, those who considered it risky to go to the grocery or market right now were highest in Luzon outside of Manila (80 percent), followed by Metro Manila (76 percent), Visayas (75 percent) and Mindanao (74 percent).

When attending religious services, those who thought it was risky were highest in the Visayas (76 percent), followed by Luzon outside of Manila (70 percent), Metro Manila (69 percent) and Mindanao (62 percent).

Fifty-two percent of the respondents said they had jobs or means of livelihood, according to the survey.

By area, the proportion of those among them was 57 percent in Luzon outside of Manila, 52 percent in Metro Manila, 51 percent in Mindanao, and 43 percent in the Visayas, according to the survey.

Those who considered it risky to go to their places of work were highest in Metro Manila (68 percent), followed by Luzon outside Manila (66 percent), the Visayas (65 percent) and Mindanao (62 percent). —INQUIRER RESEARCH