93% of Filipinos to welcome 2020 ‘with hope’: Pulse Asia

The Pulse Asia poll, conducted on December 3 to 8, found that 93 percent of Filipinos want to welcome 2020 “with hope,” higher than the 91 percent registered in December 2018. (Pexels photo)

MANILA — Hope among majority of Filipinos in the coming 2020 remains high, despite several issues that confronted the country this year, according to the latest survey released by pollster Pulse Asia on Friday.

The Pulse Asia poll, conducted on December 3 to 8, found that 93 percent of Filipinos want to welcome 2020 “with hope,” higher than the 91 percent registered in December 2018.

Only 0.2 percent said they will be facing the new year “without hope,” while seven percent were ambivalent on the matter.

There has been a notable increase in Metro Manila (95 percent from 92 percent), Visayas (98 percent from 88 percent), Mindanao (95 percent from 89 percent), and Class E (91 percent from 76 percent).

Public hopefulness stayed in Class E (93 percent), but fell in Balance Luzon (90 percent from 93 percent) and Class ABC (97 percent from 99 percent).

The December poll was conducted when the country was hit by calamities, including this year’s strongest typhoon “Tisoy” (Kammuri) and a series of powerful quakes in Mindanao.

It was also done at a time the Philippines hosted the 30th Southeast Asian Games on Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.

Coming Christmas ‘more prosperous’ this 2019

The same survey revealed that 48 percent of Filipinos were convinced that this coming Christmas will be “more prosperous” than last year, one percentage point down from 49 percent recorded in December 2018, Pulse Asia noted.

Only 11 percent believed that this year’s Christmas will be “poorer” than last year, while 41 percent thought it will just be “the same as last year,” the poll bared.

Those who expect a more prosperous Christmas this year came mostly from Manila (48 percent from 41 percent), Balance Luzon (48 percent from 47 percent), Mindanao (57 percent from 46 percent), and Class ABC (68 percent from 65 percent).

However, the number of those expecting a more prosperous Christmas this year declined in Visayas (38 percent from 63 percent) and Class E (35 percent from 37 percent). It was retained in Class D at 49 percent.

Pulse Asia interviewed 1,200 adult Filipinos, using an error margin of ±2.8 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

Subnational estimates for each of Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have ±5.7 percentage points error margin at 95 percent confidence level.