Pandemic drew families closer but 3 of 10 suffered stress, sadness —OCTA survey

Seventy-three percent of Filipinos believe they became closer to their family members due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many to stay home to avoid infection, according to a Tugon ng Masa survey conducted by OCTA Research.

However, the same survey also showed that 50% of the 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above lost their jobs or sources of income, while 28% experienced emotional problems like stress or extreme sadness.

For those who experienced closer ties with their family, the highest percentage was recorded in the National Capital Region and Balanced Luzon with 80% and 82%, respectively. Visayas and Mindanao, meanwhile, recorded 56% and 63%, respectively.

In terms of socio-economic class, more Filipinos in Class ABC experienced being closer to their family at 82% as compared to Class D (73%) and Class E (65%).

The face-to-face survey was conducted from January 26 to February 1, 2021 and utilizes a sampling design that allows for a 95% confidence level with a ±3% margin of error.

Economic implications

Regarding the economic implications of the pandemic on adult Filipinos, the survey showed that 50% of the respondents lost their job or income source because of the pandemic.

The highest percentage of Filipinos losing their job or source of income was noted in NCR (60%), while the lowest was observed in Visayas (45%).

The lockdowns implemented to prevent COVID-19 transmission have driven many businesses to temporarily or permanently close, causing the country's unemployment rate to soar to a record-high 17.7%, equivalent to 7.3 million unemployed Filipinos, in April last year.

The source of income of Class ABC was observed to be less affected by the negative impact of the pandemic compared to the other classes, with only a third of them (36%) losing their job or source income as compared to more than half for Class D and Class E (51% and 57%, respectively).

In addition to the loss of a job, a little less than half, 46%, of adult Filipinos had their salary or income decreased. Balanced Luzon has the lowest percentage of adult Filipinos (35%) who experienced a decrease in their salaries, while more than half of adult Filipinos residing in NCR (53%), Visayas (52%) and Mindanao (59%) experienced salary decreases.

As with Filipinos losing their job, higher percentages of adult Filipinos belonging to Class D and E experienced decreases in salary compared to those Filipinos in Class ABC.

Emotional impact

OCTA Research also noted that 28% of Adult Filipino respondents experienced emotional problems like stress or extreme sadness.

"Geographically, the highest percentage of respondents who experienced emotional problems was observed in adult Filipinos residing in NCR (40%)," the group said.

In terms of socioeconomic classifications, experiencing emotional problems occurred more among Class E at 35% compared to the other
classes, OCTA added.

"It is also significant to note that some adult Filipinos experienced mental health problems such as depression (9%), with most of the responses coming from Mindanao (11%). On the other hand, a relatively lower incidence was observed in Filipino adults belonging to Class E (5%)," OCTA said.

On the other hand, becoming a locally stranded individual (3%), experiencing severe illness (1%), and experiencing abuse (1%) were the event/s experienced by adult Filipinos due to the pandemic.

"On a positive note, some of the respondents recorded getting a job or source of income (2%) and having their salary or income increased (2%) despite the pandemic," OCTA said. —KBK, GMA News