Pulse Asia: Duterte continues to have high trust, approval ratings

President Rodrigo Duterte continued to enjoy "big majority approval and trust ratings"—both at 83 percent—in December despite the issues that faced him and his administration towards the end of 2016, the latest Pulse Asia survey results showed.

The survey was conducted on December 6 to 11 after such events as Vice President Leni Robredo's resignation from the Cabinet and the protests against the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos' burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, something that Duterte promised during the presidential campaign.

"Amidst various controversies involving him and his administration, most Filipinos remain appreciative of the work done by President Rodrigo R. Duterte (83 percent)," Pulse Asia said.

"Similarly, a huge majority of his constituents express trust in the President (83 percent)," it added.

The survey was conducted among 1,200 respondents nationwide, aged 18 years old and above.

It used face-to-face interviews with a  ± 3 percent margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level.

Those who distrust and disapprove of Duterte constituted only five percent and four percent respectively.

The respondents who were undecided or ambivalent about the President's performance and trustworthiness stood at 13 percent.

Pulse Asia revealed that the figures based on its December poll were virtually the same as those recorded in its September survey.

Duterte enjoyed an 86-percent trust and approval ratings in September.

"Only marginal changes occur in the President’s performance and trust ratings during the period September to December 2016 – both at the national level and across geographic areas and socio-economic classes," Pulse Asia said.

"Even the double-digit movements in President Duterte’s approval and trust scores (both at -13 percentage points) and in the levels of indecision concerning his performance and trustworthiness (+14 and +17 percentage points, respectively) which are registered in the best-off Class ABC are not considered significant as they fall within the relevant error margin for the said socio-economic class," it added.

Across geographic areas and socio-economic classes, Mindanaoans are most inclined to approve of and trust the President at 91 percent and 92 percent, respectively.

Duterte got the lowest approval and trust ratings for Class ABC at 69 percent and 72 percent.

The lowest levels of ambivalence are posted in Mindanao at 7 percent and 5 percent.

"In all geographic areas and socio-economic groupings, President Duterte records single-digit disapproval and distrust figures at 2 percent to 7 percent  and 2 percent to 6 percent, respectively," Pulse Asia said. —NB, GMA News