Fewer Filipino families feel poor in Q2 2023 — survey
Published Jul 23, 2023 08:14 am
The results of the second quarter 2023 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Sunday, July 23 revealed that 45 percent of Filipino families rated themselves as “mahirap,” or “poor.”
Meanwhile, the survey found that 22 percent of families considered themselves to be “hindi mahirap,” or “not poor,” and 33 percent considered themselves to be on the “borderline,” a line that separates those who are poor and not poor.
“This is a recovery compared to March 2023 when poor families were at 51 percent, borderline families at 30 percent, and not poor families at 19 percent,” SWS said.
It noted that the estimated number of self-rated poor families in the second quarter was 12.5 million, down from 14 million in the first quarter.
The second quarter SWS survey was conducted from June 28 to July 1, using face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults nationwide.
(SWS)
(SWS)
Self-rated poor decreases in all areas
SWS attributed the six-point decline in the nationwide self-rated poor figure between March 2023 and June 2023 to decreases in all areas. “Compared to March 2023, self-rated poor fell in the Visayas from 65 percent to 57 percent and in Mindanao from 62 percent to 54 percent. It declined but not significantly in Metro Manila, from 40 percent to 35 percent, and in Balance Luzon, from 43 percent to 39 percent,” SWS said. Meanwhile, those on the borderline hardly moved in Metro Manila from 26 percent to 23 percent and in the Visayas from 26 percent to 28 percent, while it stayed at 33 percent in Mindanao. However, it rose in Balance Luzon from 32 percent to 38 percent. At the same time, the number of not poor rose in Metro Manila from 33 percent to 42 percent, in the Visayas from 9 percent to 15 percent, and in Mindanao from 6 percent to 13 percent. It hardly changed in Balance Luzon from 25 percent to 23 percent.7.2% of Filipino families ‘newly poor’
The June 2023 survey asked the self-rated poor if they had ever experienced being non-poor—either not poor or borderline—in the past. The total percentage of poor families consisted of 7.2 percent who were non-poor one to four years ago (“newly poor”), 6 percent who were non-poor five or more years ago (“usually poor”), and 32.2 percent who never experienced being non-poor (“always poor”). SWS said that of the estimated 12.5 million self-rated poor families in June 2023, 2 million were newly poor, 1.6 million were usually poor, and 8.8 million were always poor. Conversely, the survey asked those who were self-rated non-poor—either borderline or not poor—if they had ever experienced being poor in the past. “The total percentage of non-poor families consists of 18.9 percent who were poor one to four years ago (newly non-poor), 12.1 percent who were poor five or more years ago (usually non-poor), and 23.7 percent who never experienced being poor (always non-poor). Moreover, SWS pointed out that of the estimated 15 million self-rated non-poor families in June 2023, 5.2 million were newly non-poor, 3.3 million were usually non-poor, and 6.5 million were always non-poor.Self-rated poverty threshold rises in Mindanao, steady elsewhere
In the last six quarters, SWS said the national median self-rated poverty threshold (SRP Threshold) stayed at P15,000, while the national median self-rated poverty gap (SRP Gap) rose from P6,000 in March 2023 to P7,000 in June 2023. “The SRP Threshold, or the minimum monthly budget self-rated poor families say they need for home expenses in order not to consider themselves poor, has remained sluggish for several years despite considerable inflation,” SWS said. “This indicates that poor families have been lowering their living standards, i.e., belt-tightening,” it pointed out. Meanwhile, it noted that the median SRP Gap has generally been half of the median SRP Threshold in the past surveys, which means that “typical poor families lack about half of what they need to not consider themselves poor.” “An increase in the proportion of the median SRP Gap relative to the median SRP Threshold means a worsening in families’ budget for home expenses,” it said. In Metro Manila, the median SRP Threshold stayed at P20,000 from March 2023 to June 2023, while the median SRP Gap fell from P10,000 to P9,000. In Balance Luzon, the median SRP Threshold stayed at P15,000, while the median SRP Gap rose from P6,000 to P7,000. In the Visayas, the median SRP Threshold stayed at P15,000, while the median SRP Gap fell from P7,000 to P6,000. In Mindanao, the median SRP Threshold rose from P10,000 to P15,000, while the median SRP Gap rose from P5,000 to P7,000.