SWS: 50% of Filipinos said their lives worsened in last 12 months

Fifty percent or half of Filipino adults believe their lives got worse in the last 12 months, while over a quarter or 26% feel things stayed the same, public opinion pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS) said Thursday.

Reporting the results of its latest Social Weather Survey conducted on March 24 to 31, the number of net gainers—those who reported better lives minus those who said the opposite—sagged to a score of -26 or the lowest in four years.

Those who reported a better quality of life—termed as gainers—were 23% of respondents.

The net gainers' score of -26 was a 19-point drop from the "fair" -7 rating in November 2025, which was already a decline from the "very high" +12 mark in June 2025 and "fair" -2 last September.

Losses across the country

Majority of the respondents who contributed to the latest drop were recorded in Mindanao and Metro Manila, both of which were at low -31, although the SWS said "sharp decreases" were logged in all areas.

The net gainers score tended to decline with age as it was highest among 18-24 year olds, and progressively dropped across age groups to very low -39 among those 55 years old or higher.

The SWS survey on the change in personal quality-of-life from last year to the present was conducted from March 24 to 31 through face-to-face interviews, with the question, "Kung ikukumpara ang uri ng inyong kasalukuyang pamumuhay sa nakaraang 12 buwan, masasabi ba ninyo na ang uri ng inyong pamumuhay ay mas mabuti kaysa noon, kapareho ng dati, o mas masama kaysa noon?"

(Comparing your quality of life these days to how it was 12 months ago, would you say that your quality of life is better now than before, same as before, or worse than before?)

The question was asked to 1,500 adult respondents nationwide.

The survey had a ±3% margin of error for national percentages. — VDV, GMA News