A survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that 79 percent of Filipino adults believe that violators of minimum health protocols are the "real cause" of the current spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country.
The government has been urging the public to vigilantly follow health protocols such as wearing face masks, frequent handwashing, and observing physical distancing to stem the fluctuating number of COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, 11 percent blamed the government's "lack of preparation" and 10 percent suggested the new COVID-19 variants for the virus spread.
The nationwide survey conducted from April 28 to May 2, 2021 and released on Friday, May 28, particularly asked 1,200 respondents: "In your opinion, which of the following do you think is the real cause of the current spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines?"
Respondents were given a list of three choices, presented in random order, and asked to provide one answer only.
SWS said that before the May 2021 survey, daily new cases of COVID-19 peaked at 15,280 on April 3, while the cumulative number of cases breached the 1 million mark on April 27.
Among those saying violators of health protocols were the cause of the spread of COVID-19, 37 percent said "they themselves" were most responsible for stopping it, followed by 24 percent who said the national government, 16 percent community members, 9 percent the local government, 9 percent their family, and 3 percent the health workers.
Meanwhile, among those who said that the government’s lack of preparation was the cause of the spread of the virus, 58 percent saw the national government as most responsible for stopping it, compared to those who saw themselves (16 percent), the local government (10 percent), community members (7 percent), their family (6 percent), and health workers (4 percent) as most responsible.
Similarly, among those believing the new COVID-19 variant was the cause of the spread of COVID-19, 52 percent saw the national government as most responsible for stopping the spread of the virus, compared to those who saw themselves (19 percent), community members (9 percent), the local government (9 percent), their family (6 percent), and health workers (4 percent) as most responsible.
The May 2021 survey also asked: "In your opinion, which of the following is most responsible for stopping the spread of COVID-19?"
Respondents were given six responses to choose from, presented in random order, and were allowed one answer only.
To this, 33 percent answered "myself," 31 percent "national government," 15 percent "members of my community," 9 percent "local government," 8 percent "my family," and 4 percent "health workers."