Inflation, corruption are top concerns of Filipinos, survey says

MANILA, Philippines — Curbing inflation and fighting graft and corruption in government are the Filipinos’ top national concerns for the first quarter of 2026, according to Pulse Asia Research’s Ulat ng Bayan survey released on Monday.

The survey showed that 59 percent of Filipinos want the administration to control inflation, while 47 percent want corruption addressed.

Workers’ pay ranked next at 36 percent.

READ: Marcos ratings improve, VP Duterte rises in latest Pulse Asia poll

Tied for fourth place at 21 percent are reducing poverty, creating more jobs, and fighting the sale and use of illegal drugs.

Meanwhile, 17 percent of Filipinos want criminality addressed.

Next on the list are helping farmers (14 percent), enforcing the rule of law (11 percent), addressing involuntary hunger (10 percent), protecting the environment (9 percent), and promoting peace (9 percent).

Meanwhile, out of 18 issues on which the performance of the Marcos administration was assessed, only the protection of the welfare of overseas Filipino workers received a majority approval rating (53 percent).

In contrast, most Filipino adults (73 percent) are critical of the administration’s handling of inflation control, poverty reduction, corruption, and the widespread sale and use of illegal drugs.

The survey was conducted from February 27 to March 2 through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 representative adults aged 18 and above, with a ±2.8 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level. /gsg