RECENT survey results released by Social Weather Stations (SWS) on Thursday, June 18, revealed that 83% of Filipinos think the quality of life has worsened in the last 12 months.
The resulting percentage, according to the SWS, is a new peak in the 37-year series of 135 SWS surveys, breaking the previous record of 62% “losers” in June 2008.
Meanwhile, 6% of Filipinos believed life got better, which is a new all-time low, breaking the previous record of nine percent “gainers” in July 1985.
“Losers” is a term that the SWS uses for those who said their quality of life worsened, while “gainers” is the term for those who said their quality of life got better.
The remaining 10% Filipinos claimed life was “unchanged.”
“The May 2020 net gainers score of -78 (gainers minus losers, correctly rounded) is the worst in survey history, breaking the previous record low -50 in June 2008. It plummeted from a very high +18 in December 2019,” said SWS in its report.
The low score of -78 of nationwide net gainers score was attributed to the very low (-30 and below) scores in all areas. The score is lowest in the Visayas at -82, followed by Mindanao at -80, Metro Manila at 77, and Balance Luzon at -75.
Scores in all areas dropped to all-time low figures when compared to previous SWS surveys of adults.
SWS noted that the net gainers score is “equally bad” in enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ) areas at -77 and -78, respectively.
Malacañang, in response to the survey results, said it was not surprised.
“It should be 100 percent because there is COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) and the economy was closed. Hindi po kami naso-sorpresa diyan (That doesn’t surprise us),” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.
“It should in fact be 100 percent dahil minimum two months tayo complete lockdown. Lahat po talaga tayo nahihirapan at kinikilala po ‘yan ng ating presidente (because we have been under a complete lockdown for a minimum of two months. All of us are having a hard time and the president recognizes that),” he added.
The SWS survey was conducted from May 4 to 10 among 4,010 working-age Filipinos nationwide or those aged 15 years old and above using mobile phones and computer-assisted telephone interviews.
SWS used sampling error margins of ±2% for national percentages, ±6% for Metro Manila, ±2% for Balance Luzon, ±3% Visayas, and ±3% in Mindanao.
