SWS: Most Filipinos believe women in politics are more likely to advocate for social issues


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Social Weather Stations (SWS)

A Stratbase-commissioned Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from March 15 to 20 found that 74 percent of adult Filipinos believe women in politics are more inclined to advocate for social issues like education and healthcare.

Of those surveyed, 42 percent strongly agreed, while 32 percent somewhat agreed with the statement, “Women in politics are more likely to advocate for social issues, such as education and healthcare.”

Only 12 percent disagreed, with 6 percent strongly disagreeing and another 6 percent somewhat disagreeing. 

The net agreement score is +62 (the percentage of those who agreed minus those who disagreed), which SWS classified as “extremely strong.”

The net agreement that women in politics are more likely to advocate for social issues was "extremely strong" in Metro Manila (+78) and Balance Luzon (+72), while it was "very strong" in the Visayas (+49) and Mindanao (+48).

51% of Filipinos say women govern better than men

The same survey found that 51 percent of respondents believe women are better than men in governance. 

Of this group, 24 percent strongly agreed, and 27 percent somewhat agreed with the statement. 

Meanwhile, 22 percent disagreed, with 13 percent somewhat disagreeing and 10 percent strongly disagreeing. 

The net agreement score for this statement was +29, which SWS categorized as “moderately strong.”

Agreement that women are better at governance than men was moderately strong across all regions. 

However, it was particularly "strong" among women, with a score of +40, compared to +17 among men.

55% say women face challenges entering politics without political family ties

SWS also found that 55 percent of Filipinos think it is difficult for women to enter politics unless they come from a political family. 

The statement received agreement from 25 percent who strongly agreed and 30 percent who somewhat agreed. 

This statement’s net agreement score was +30, which is considered “very strong” by SWS.

It is higher than the net agreement score of +22 in September 2024.

The Stratbase-SWS March 2025 National Survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,800 registered voters nationwide, with samples drawn from Metro Manila (300), Balance Luzon (900), the Visayas (300), and Mindanao (300). 

The sampling error margins are ±2.31 percent for national percentages, ±3.27 percent for Balance Luzon, and ±5.66 percent for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.