SWS: More Filipinos expect lives, economy to improve in 2020

MORE Filipinos expect their lives and the country’s economy to improve in the next 12 months, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The poll, conducted from December 13 to 16 last year among 1,200 respondents nationwide, found that 48 percent of Filipinos were optimistic that the quality of life would improve this year while 4 percent expected it to get worse.

This yielded a net score of +44 — up by 3 points from the third quarter record — which is classified by SWS as “excellent.”

“This used to be +41 in September, +42 in June, and +47 in March, all classified as Excellent (+40 and above),” the pollster said.

“Only 11 percent of Net Personal Optimism scores since 1983 are within ‘Excellent’ range,” it added.

The SWS said the 3-point rise in the national net personal optimism score in December last year was due to increases of 7 points in Balance Luzon and 2 points in the Visayas, combined with decreases of 4 points in Metro Manila, and 1 point in Mindanao.

In Balance Luzon, net personal optimism rose from +40 (excellent) in September 2019 to +47 (excellent) in December 2019.

It also rose in the Visayas, from +32 (very high) in September to +34 (very high) in December.

But net personal optimism fell from +48 (excellent) in September to +44 (excellent) in December.

It also fell in Mindanao, from +46 (excellent) in September to +45 (excellent) in December.

The same survey also showed that majority of Filipinos expected an improved economy in the following months.

Some 47 percent of respondents projected economic growth, while 9 percent foresaw a slow down.

“This used to be +28 in September, +33 in June, and +35 in March, all classified as ‘Excellent’ (+20 and above)

Twenty-eight percent of Net Economic Optimism scores since 1998 are within ‘Excellent’ range,” SWS said.

SWS attributed the upward trend to higher economic optimism records in the increases of 14 points in Balance Luzon, 10 points in the Visayas, 5 points in Metro Manila and 4 points in Mindanao.

In Balance Luzon, net economic optimism rose from +23 (excellent) in September 2019 to +37 (excellent) in December 2019.

It also rose in the Visayas from +23 (excellent) in September to +33 (excellent) in December.

In Metro Manila, net economic optimism rose from +34 (excellent) in September to +39 (excellent) in December.

It also rose in Mindanao, from +40 (excellent) in September to +44 (excellent) in December.

Meanwhile, the last quarter of 2019 also saw the highest number of Filipinos who said their lives improved.

SWS found that 39 percent of Filipinos said their lives improved (termed by SWS as “gainers”) in the last 12 months while 21 percent said their lives worsened (termed as “losers”).

The December survey, conducted using face-to-face interviews nationwide, had sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages, and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.