Pulse Asia: 9 of 10 Filipinos to face New Year with hope

 

Pulse Asia, which released the results of its Christmas survey last Thursday, said "Optimism is the majority sentiment as regards the coming New Year with 88 percent of Filipinos saying they will face 2012 with hope." Also, it said "Overwhelming majorities in every geographic area (80 to 93 percent) and socio-economic class (85 to 89 percent) express this sentiment."  

In contrast, less than one in 10 Filipinos (6 percent) will face next year either with apprehension or without hope and without apprehension.

 

The figures recorded at the national level and across geographic areas and socio-economic classes remain basically unchanged between October 2010 and November 2011.

 

Same as 2010

 

More than half – 52 percent of Filipinos – believe this year's Christmas will not be any different from the previous year, the pollster said.

 

 

In Mindanao, almost the same percentages expect this year’s Christmas celebration to be either the same or more prosperous than last year (42 versus 37 percent).

 

Meanwhile, 32 percent of Filipinos expect a more prosperous Christmas season this year while 15 percent expect a poorer Christmas than the previous.

 

"The figures recorded across geographic areas and socio-economic classes do not differ significantly from the respective national figures," it said.

 

Expectation of prosperous xmas

 

Compared to October 2010, Pulse Asia noted a decline in the percentage of Filipinos who are expecting a more prosperous Christmas season this year (-7 percentage points).

 

Figures declined by even bigger margins in the poorest Class E (-14 percentage points) and the Visayas (-24 percentage points).

 

On the other hand, the percentage of Visayans expecting no change in the coming Christmas season increases between October 2010 and November 2011 (+16 percentage points).

 

Only marginal changes may be noted in the other figures – both at the national level and across geographic areas and socio-economic groupings.

 

The survey was conducted Nov. 10 to 23, with face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults.

 

It has a ± 3% error margin at the 95% confidence level.  Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey (Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) have a ± 6% error margin, also at 95% confidence level.

 

At the time the survey was conducted, the following developments dominated the headlines:

 

(1) the Supreme Court's issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the watch list order against former President Gloria Arroyo and former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo  

(2) acting on orders of Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, the immigration officials' preventing the former First Couple from leaving the country despite the SC TRO  

(3) the arrest of Arroyo on November 18 on charges of electoral fraud in the May 2007 elections  

(4) the murder of a son of former Senator Ramon Revilla, and the alleged involvement of family members in the murder plot  

(5) the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit attended by President Benigno Aquino III  

(6) the visit to the Philippines by U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak  

(7) the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) continued campaign against tax evaders  

(8) the commemoration of the second anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre  

(9) the issuance of a hold departure order against retired Maj. Gen. Jacinto Ligot and his wife following the filing of tax evasion charges against the couple  

(10) government financial assistance given to several rebel groups  

(11) the Supreme Court decision mandating the distribution of the lands of Hacienda Luisita to about 6,000 farmer beneficiaries  

(12) the passage of the national budget by the Senate  

(13) depreciation of the Philippine peso and increase in diesel prices and power rates.

 

Other developments during this period include Saranggani Representative Emmanuel Pacquiao’s controversial win over Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez, the appointment of Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista as the new chief of the Philippine Army and the inclusion of the Palawan Underground River as one of the provisional winners in the search for the new seven wonders of nature. — LBG, GMA News