Quality of life of 39% of Filipinos improved in past 12 months: SWS

By Filane Mikee Cervantes, Philippine News Agency

ONE FINE DAY. A group of visitors at the Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach find a spot to watch the sun set on Saturday (Sept. 14, 2024). Tropical Storm Ferdie did not affect Metro Manila and spared the beach from heaps of trash, unlike when Enteng hit last week. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)

MANILA – Results of a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed that 39 percent of adult Filipinos believed their quality of life improved compared to a year ago.

The survey, conducted from June 23-July 1, 2024, also showed that 23 percent of the respondents said their quality of life got worse than 12 months before, while 37 said their lives remained unchanged.

SWS said this resulted in a net gainers score of +15, which was classified as “very high.”

The June 2024 score marked a significant 10-point improvement from the previous survey in March 2024, which had a “fair” rating of +5.

However, the current score remains slightly below the pre-pandemic level of +18 recorded in December 2019.

According to the June 2024 survey, Balance Luzon registered the highest net gainer score at an “excellent” +26, followed by Metro Manila at a very high +16, Mindanao at a high +7, and the Visayas at a high +1.

“The 10-point rise in the nationwide Net Gainer score between March 2024 and June 2024 was due to increases in all areas, especially in Mindanao,” SWS said.

In terms of educational levels, net gainers among college graduates rose from +10 in March 2024 to an “excellent” +21 in June, while junior high school and elementary graduates had a “very high” rating and non-elementary graduates had a “net zero “fair” rating.

Families that did not experience hunger had a “very high” net gainers score of +18, while families facing moderate hunger had a score of +12.

In contrast, severely hungry families remained in “mediocre” territory with a score of -17.

Families who identified as “Not Poor” had an “excellent” score of +26, while those who considered themselves “Poor” had a more modest “high” score of +9.

“The Net Gainers score has historically been lower among the Poor than the Borderline and Not Poor. This means the Poor have more Losers and fewer Gainers than the Borderline and Not Poor,” SWS said.

The Second Quarter 2024 Social Weather Survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults nationwide with a ±2.5% margin of error at the national level.