SWS: Marcos administration’s satisfaction rating climbs out of record-low territory

Abi Sarabia M., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
August 13, 2026

Photo courtesy: Philippine News Agency

Public satisfaction with the Marcos administration recovered to neutral territory in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, though the rating remains below the levels the government posted late last year.

The non-commissioned survey, conducted from June 20 to 29, found that 42% of adult Filipinos said they were satisfied with the administration’s general performance, while 40% were dissatisfied and 17% were undecided. This produced a net satisfaction rating of +1, which SWS classifies as neutral.

The result marked a 14-point recovery from -13 in March, the lowest rating recorded for the Marcos administration and the weakest in 16 years, according to SWS. The March figure had been classified as poor. Despite the rebound, the June rating remains below the moderate +14 the administration posted in November 2025.

The survey broke down public satisfaction across specific areas of government performance. Ratings were very good for providing basic education to children, improving the quality of youth education, helping the poor, and crafting policies aimed at generating jobs.

By contrast, the administration drew poor marks on controlling inflation and on fighting corruption in government, which the survey identified as the weakest areas of performance.

SWS interviewed 1,200 adults nationwide for the survey, with 300 respondents each from Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The survey has a national sampling error margin of ±3 percentage points.