An OCTA Research survey conducted in the fourth quarter of 2023 found that all respondents knew about the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)—that is, they had heard, read, or seen anything about them, with majority of them having much satisfaction and trust in the organization.

The results of the AFP-commissioned survey, which were released on Thursday, March 7, revealed that “100 percent” of adult Filipinos were aware of the AFP, up from 89 percent in October 2023.

“According to the findings of the survey, the AFP received consistently high ratings for trust and satisfaction in 2023. As per the OCTA survey, the AFP emerged as one of the most trusted and top-performing government agencies in 2023,” OCTA said in its report.

Of those aware, 86 percent were satisfied with the AFP and its accomplishments, while only 2 percent were dissatisfied, resulting in a net satisfaction rating of +84.

OCTA pointed out that AFP’s net satisfaction rating “hardly moved” from +83 in October 2023.

“The AFP’s net satisfaction rating rose by five points in all areas except in Mindanao, where it was down by three points. By socioeconomic class, the AFP’s net satisfaction rating sharply went up by 14 points for Class ABC but slightly fell by one point for Class D,” it said.

The AFP’s net satisfaction rating was at least +85 in all major areas except the National Capital Region (NCR) with +73.

Its net satisfaction rating was highest among adult Filipinos belonging to Class ABC and E (+87), and lowest among adult Filipinos belonging to Class D (+83).

Moreover, the AFP’s net satisfaction rating ranged from +74 to +93 across age groups, with the highest rating among those aged 65 to 74 and the lowest rating among those aged 75 and up.

OCTA also noted that Adult Filipinos in rural areas have a higher net satisfaction rating with the AFP, at +90, than those in urban areas, at +79.

Meanwhile, males (+83) and females (+85) have almost identical net satisfaction ratings with the AFP.

In terms of educational attainment, adult Filipinos with no formal education or completed elementary education have the highest net satisfaction rating for the AFP at +91, while those who completed high school education have the lowest net satisfaction rating of +81.

Trust in AFP

The survey also showed that 87 percent of adult Filipinos said they trusted the AFP, compared to 2 percent who said they did not, yielding a net trust rating of +85.

“Across different major areas, the AFP’s net trust rating ranges from +77 to +89. Its highest net trust rating is in Mindanao, followed by Visayas +88, while its lowest net trust rating is in NCR,” OCTA said.

“Regarding socioeconomic classes, the AFP’s net trust rating is highest in Class ABC (+87), which is closely followed by those in Class D and E, at +84 and +85, respectively,” it added.

Across age groups, OCTA said the AFP’s net trust score ranged from +79 to +94.

Its net trust rating is highest among adult Filipinos aged 65 to 74, and lowest among those 75 and up.

Meanwhile, adult Filipinos in rural areas have a higher net trust rating for the AFP (+91) than those in urban areas (+80).

In terms of gender, the AFP’s net trust rating is nearly identical for adult Filipino men and women.

The AFP’s net trust rating for those with the highest educational attainment ranged from +82 to +91.

It was highest among adult Filipinos with no formal education/elementary and lowest among those with a high school diploma.

The Fourth Quarter 2023 “Tugon ng Masa” nationwide survey was conducted from Dec. 10 to 14, 2023, with 1,200 respondents interviewed face-to-face across the country.

The survey has a margin of error of ±3 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

Subnational estimates for the geographic areas covered have margins of error of ±6 percent at a 95 percent confidence level for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.