44 percent of Pinoys believe quality of life will improve in next 12 months —SWS

Four out of 10 Filipinos are optimistic and believe that their quality of life will improve in the next 12 months, the second quarter survey from the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

Results from the survey conducted from June 23 to 26, revealed that 44 percent of the respondents were optimistic, while 4 percent were pessimistic, believing quality of life will worsen in the next 12 months. The net personal optimism was thus at +40, considered "excellent" by SWS.

This was an improvement over the "very high" +36 net personal optimism (43 percent optimistic, 6 percent pessimistic) recorded in the first quarter of 2017.

According to the SWS, net personal optimism for five consecutive quarters preceding the first quarter survey had been "excellent."

The survey was conducted among 1,200 adults nationwide and sampling error margins were at ±3 points for national percentages, ±4 for “Balance Luzon,” and ±6 each for Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Survey results were first published on BusinessWorld's website on Tuesday.

The SWS considers as "excellent" the scores of +40 and up for net personal optimism.

Geographical areas

In Metro Manila and Balance Luzon, net personal optimism was "excellent" at +46 and +42 (from +37 in the first quarter), respectively. 

It was "very high" in Mindanao (+37) and Visayas (+36).

Socioeconomic groups

Net personal optimism was "excellent" in class D (+41), and "very high" in class E (+37) and class ABC (+39).

Views on PHL economy

Some 39 percent of the respondents believe that the Philippine economy will improve next year.

Twelve percent, meanwhile, believe that it will deteriorate.

This resulted in an "excellent" net economic optimism score of +27, although it is lower than the +38 net score in March 2017.

In terms of geographical areas, it was "excellent" in Mindanao (+34), Metro Manila (+27), Balance Luzon (+23), and Visayas (+27).

Among the socioeconomic classes, the score remained "excellent" in class ABC (+22), class D (+27), and class E (+25).

SWS considers as "excellent" net economic optimism scores of at least +20, and "very high" scores of of +10 to +19.

Personal quality of life

Thirty-seven percent of the respondents also said that their quality of life improved ("gainers") in the past 12 months.

Nineteen percent, meanwhile, said their lives worsened ("losers").

This resulted in a net personal gainers score of +17 considered "very high", just one point up the +16 net gainers score in March 2017.

In Balance Luzon, the net gainers score was "excellent" at +20, while it was "very high" in the Visayas at +19.

Metro Manila's net gainers score was "very high" at +14, while Mindanao's was +13 ("very high").

Class ABC's net gainers score was also "excellent" at +27, while it was "very high" in class D (+18).

It was "high" among the class E, at +9.

SWS considers as "excellent" net personal gainers scores of at least +20, and "very high" scores of +10 to +19. —KG, GMA News