SWS: Filipinos split between expecting better, same quality of life in next 12 months

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results released on Monday, July 8, revealed a split sentiment among Filipinos regarding their quality of life in the next 12 months, with 44 percent expecting an improvement and another 44 percent anticipating “no change.”

The survey, conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,500 respondents nationwide from March 21 to 25, also found that 7 percent of Filipinos expect their quality of life to "worsen" in the next 12 months.

The remaining percentage did not respond.

SWS used the term “optimists” for those who believe their quality of life will improve and “pessimists” for those who think their quality of life will worsen.

“The resulting Net Personal Optimism score is +37 (percentage of optimists minus percentage of pessimists), classified by SWS as ‘very high’,” it said.

It also noted that the March 2024 Net Personal Optimism score was similar to the very high +39 in December 2023.

Scores of +40 and higher are classified as “excellent,” while scores of +30 to +39 are classified as “very high,” +20 to +29 as “high,” +10 to +19 as “fair,” +1 to +9 as “mediocre,” –9 to zero as “low,” and –10 and below as “very low.”

Net optimism decreases in Metro Manila, VisMin; increases in Balance Luzon

SWS explained that the two-point decline in the national Net Personal Optimism score between December 2023 and March 2024 was due to a decline in Mindanao and slight decreases in Metro Manila and the Visayas, combined with a slight increase in Balance Luzon—or Luzon outside of Metro Manila.

Compared to December 2023, the Net Personal Optimism score in Mindanao declined from excellent (+43) to very high (+32). 

In Metro Manila, optimism remained at excellent levels, slightly decreasing from +47 to +42. 

The Visayas maintained a high optimism level, with a slight drop from +27 to +24. 

Meanwhile, optimism in Balance Luzon remained excellent, increasing from +40 to +44.

‘Excellent’ net optimism among college, junior HS grads

Compared to December 2023, SWS said Net Personal Optimism among those who graduated from college or took post-graduate studies rose from very high to excellent, from +38 to +44 in March 2024.

It also stayed excellent among those who finished junior high school, had some vocational schooling, had some senior high school, finished senior high school, completed vocational school, or attended college, hardly moving from +45 to +43.

Meanwhile, it stayed very high among those who either finished elementary or had some high school education, although down from +36 to +32.

It fell from high to fair among those who either had no formal education or some elementary education, down from +24 to +19.