By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz
Fewer Filipinos have claimed their lives have improved but many are still hopeful that their quality of life will become better in the next 12 months.
In the second quarter Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted last June 27 to 30 with 1,200 respondents, 32 percent said their lives have improved, while 27 percent said their lives have worsened.
(ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
SWS refers to those whose lives have improved as ‘gainers,’ while those whose lives have worsened as ‘losers.’
The latest figures translate to a net gainers score of +5 (percent gainers minus percent losers), which is classified by SWS as “high.”
This is 15 points below the “excellent” +20 in March 2018 and is the lowest since the high +3 in April 2016.
SWS attributed the 15-point fall in the national net gainers score to declines in all areas.
Net Gainers fell in the Visayas, from +3 (high) in March 2018 to -11 (mediocre) in June 2018. This is the lowest since the -12 in December 2014.
It fell in the rest of Luzon, from +21 (excellent) in March to +9 (high) in June. This is the lowest since the +7 in June 2016.
It declined in Metro Manila, from +24 (excellent) in March to +1 (high) in June, which is the lowest since the -9 in December 2014.
It also decreased in Mindanao, from +29 (excellent) in March to +14 (very high) in June. This is the lowest since the +13 in June 2017.
Net gainers fell sharply in class D or the ‘masa,’ from +22 (excellent) in March to +4 (high) in June. SWS noted that this is the lowest since the +4 in April 2016.
It declined in class E or the ‘poorest,’ from +4 (high) in March to +1 (high) in June. This is the lowest since the -6 (high) in April 2016.
It fell in class ABC or the upper-to-middle class, from +33 (excellent) in March 2018 to +31 (excellent) in June 2018.
However, 49 percent are still expecting their personal quality of life to improve in the next 12 months, referred to by SWS as ‘optimists,’ and 5 percent are expecting it to get worse, or the ‘pessimists.’
This brings the net personal optimists score of +44, up by four points from +40, which remains “excellent.”
The survey also found that 43 percent are optimistic that the Philippine economy next year would get better, and 13 percent feeling it would deteriorate, for a net economic optimists score of +30 (percent economic optimists minus percent economic pessimists), classified as excellent. This is one point below the +31 in March 2018.
SWS clarified that net economic optimists refers to expectations about the general Philippine economy, and is different from net personal optimism, which refers to expectations in personal quality of life.