Pinoy optimism hits record high - SWS

MANILA, Philippines - The number of Filipinos who expect their lives to get better in the next 12 months hit a record high during the remaining days of the Arroyo administration, a latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The SWS survey, conducted from June 25 to 28, found that four out of 10 Filipinos (41 percent) expect their personal quality of life to improve in the next 12 months while five percent claimed things would get worse, for a +36 net optimism rating.

Based on SWS definitions, a +36 net optimism is considered “very high.” SWS said the latest figure surpassed the +35 net optimism achieved in March 1987 during the term of the late former President Corazon Aquino.

The SWS survey, published in newspaper BusinessWorld, said net personal optimism improved across all areas and socioeconomic classes.

It was up to from +36 to +44 in Metro Manila; from +28 to +43 in the balance of Luzon; from +22 to +27 in the Visayas and from +21 to +26 in Mindanao.

By socioeconomic group, a 16-point improvement was recorded among ABC class from +32 to +48; an increase of 10 points to +36 was recorded among class D or the “masa”, while class E had a slightly smaller six-point gain to +32.

The survey also found that 29 percent of Filipinos believe their lives had worsened (“losers”) and 23 percent said it became better (“gainers”) for a “fair” net gainers-losers score of -6, an improvement from the “mediocre” -19 recorded in March.

The net gainer-losers score of -6 is similar to the -9 hit in November 2006, the SWS said, adding that since that year the figure hit “low” to “very low” levels in 13 out of 20 surveys.

The survey research institution also said that gainers had exceeded losers only twice – in May 1986 by two points and in March 1987 by 11 points – in over 80 national surveys starting in 1984.

Similarly, the net gainers-losers score improved in all areas: -8 from -27 in Mindanao; -7 to -24 in Metro Manila; -11 from -23 in Visayas and -2 to -11 in the rest of Luzon.