Record 43% of Filipinos see life worsening in next 12 months –SWS

Forty-three percent of working age Filipinos expect their life to worsen in the next 12 months, according to results of a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released Tuesday.

The survey, conducted on May 4 to 10, said 43% of those who expect their life to worsen for the next year is also the highest percentage of "pessimists" ever recorded in SWS' 37-year history, breaking the 34% recorded in March 2005.

On the other hand, 24% said they are expecting their quality of life to stay the same while only 24% said they expect their quality of life to improve, or "optimists," according to the SWS.

The 24% optimists is just slightly above the record low 20% optimists charted in October 2000 and March 2005.

This also means that the net optimism score of the Filipinos sank to -18% in May, down from 44% in December 2019 and also the worst in SWS poll history, eclipsing the -13% record posted in October 2000 and March 2005.

Moreover, the -18% net optimism is just one of the rare instances that net optimism score in country reached negative levels.

In response, Malacañang said the recovery process would not be easy.

“Well ‘yan naman po ay kasagsagan pa rin ng quarantine natin at siyempre dahil alam naman natin dahil nagsara ang ekonomiya eh talagang mahihirapan po ang buong mundo, hindi lang naman po ang Pilipinas,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a televised briefing.

“Kinakailangan lahat tayo bumangon at hindi po madali itong proseso ng pagbangon. Naiintindihan po natin ‘yan.”

Per SWS, only 12 out of the 135 SWS surveys since 1984 have a net optimism score of zero or lower. Out of the 12, the score reached very low levels in only four instances: October 2000 (–13), March 2005 (–13), May 2005 (–12), and May 2020 (–18).

“Negative ratings in 1984, 2000, and 2005 were associated with political unrest in the late Marcos-era, the impeachment crisis of Joseph Estrada, and the controversial 2004 election of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” the SWS said.

The last time the net optimism score was negative was in June 2008 at –6. Thereafter, the score has been positive in all 46 surveys between September 2008 and December 2019.

The SWS also said all scores have been high at 20 to 29% or better since September 2009.

The survey was conducted using mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone interview of 4,010 working-age Filipinos aged 15 years old and above nationwide.

Of the 4,010 respondents, 294 are in the National Capital Region, 1,645 in Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside of Metro Manila), 792 in the Visayas, and 1,279 in Mindanao.

The sampling error margin is at ±2% for national percentages, ±6% for Metro Manila, ±2 for Balance Luzon, ±3% Visayas, and ±3% in Mindanao. --with Virgil Lopez/KBK, GMA News