More Filipinos foresee better lives – SWS poll

(Photo by Stuart Jenner/Shutterstock)

MANILA – According to the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, more optimistic Filipinos foresee better quality of lives this year and the next, compared to their lives a year ago.

The SWS poll results showed a ‘very high’ net personal optimism score of the Filipinos, with 42 percent or almost half of the respondents who expect better life in the next 12 months and only 5 percent of them expect it to worsen.

This year’s personal optimism score was the highest recorded, beating 2010’s 36 percent.

The SWS believed that the continued improvements in balance in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon and Visayas caused the ‘very high’ optimism score.

The personal optimism score was 39 percent in Metro Manila, 40 percent in the rest of Luzon and 28 percent in Visayas.

In Mindanao, however, it decreased to a still ‘very high’ 35 percent, but lower by nine points to last year’s 44 percent.

Also, the overall net personal optimism score last year was likewise a high 35 percent, signaling that only a little increase occurred this year.

With regards to the socioeconomic classes, 32 percent claimed their lives improved in the past year, while 26 percent said their lives worsened, showing 6 percent difference between ‘gainers’ and ‘losers.’

This was also the highest recorded, outdoing 1987’s 29 percent gainers, 30 percent losers and 11 percent difference.

The survey was conducted from March 20 to 23, and used face-to-face interviews to Filipino adults nationwide. It has a sampling error margin of three points for national percentages and six points to each island group percentages.

Meanwhile, Malacañang was enthusiastic with the positive results of this year’s survey, especially since it’s nearing the end of President Benigno Aquino III’s term.