Majority of Filipinos are satisfied with the national government’s performance in providing quality education and infrastructure, based on the OCTA Research survey conducted from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.

The results of the 3rd Quarter 2023 Tugon ng Masa survey, released on Monday, Dec. 11, showed that Filipinos are satisfied with the government’s provision of quality primary and secondary education (72 percent) and quality tertiary and technical or vocational education (71 percent).

Most Filipinos also approved of the government’s construction of public infrastructure (71 percent).

The government also received majority ratings for protecting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (69 percent) and providing quality and affordable healthcare (69 percent), as well as responding to natural disasters (68 percent) and defending Philippine territory (64 percent).

Meanwhile, OCTA said Filipinos are less satisfied with the national government’s performance when it comes to ensuring food security or access to affordable food (48 percent), stopping the spread of illegal drugs (47 percent), controlling population growth (46 percent), lowering taxes (45 percent), fighting graft and corruption (43 percent), reducing hunger (34 percent), reducing poverty (29 percent), and managing inflation (14 percent).

It also noted that at least 20 percent of Filipinos are dissatisfied with the national government’s performance in ensuring food security or access to affordable food (20 percent), fighting graft and corruption in government (21 percent), stopping the spread of illegal drugs in the country (22 percent), reducing hunger (28 percent), reducing poverty (31 percent), and controlling the prices of basic goods or managing inflation (64 percent).

Satisfaction varies across major areas, socio-economic classes

In the last three months, OCTA observed significant differences in satisfaction with the government's performance across the major areas and socio-economic classes.

“A lower percentage of adult Filipinos in the National Capital Region (NCR) are satisfied with the national government’s performance In creating more jobs (36 percent) and in protecting human rights (36 percent), while a lower percentage of adult Filipinos in Balance Luzon are satisfied with the national government’s performance in stopping the destruction and abuse of our environment (49 percent),” it said.

“However, a higher percentage of adult Filipinos in the NCR were satisfied with the national government’s program on proper and effective response to natural disasters (82 percent) and in providing quality and affordable healthcare (78 percent),” it added.

Filipinos in the Visayas were also highly satisfied with the government’s program on building public infrastructure (83 percent), while those in Metro Manila were satisfied with the national government’s performance in helping the poor (41 percent), creating more jobs (36 percent), protecting human rights (36 percent), stopping the spread of illegal drugs in the country (23 percent), fighting graft and corruption (20 percent), reducing hunger (16 percent), controlling the prices of basic goods or managing inflation (5 percent), and reducing poverty (11 percent).

Meanwhile, there was a lower percentage of adult Filipinos belonging to class ABC that were satisfied with the national government’s performance in reducing poverty (18 percent), providing quality tertiary and technical or vocational education (48 percent), and providing quality primary and secondary education (64 percent).

Those in Class E were also highly satisfied with the national government’s performance in promoting peace and order in the country (68 percent), protecting the welfare of OFWs (74 percent), providing quality and affordable healthcare (77 percent), protecting human rights (65 percent), and stopping the spread of illegal drugs in the country (56 percent).

The Third Quarter 2023 Tugon ng Masa survey was fielded from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4 through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adult respondents nationwide.

It has a ±3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level, with subnational estimates for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao at a ±6 percent margin of error.