SWS: 79% of Pinoys trust US

MANILA, Philippines - A high percentage of Filipinos trust the United States, according to a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The survey, taken from March 27 to 30, found 43 percent of respondents saying they have “very much trust” in the US and 41 percent saying they have “somewhat much trust.”

This resulted in a net trust score of 79, which is classified by the SWS as “excellent.”

SWS said the latest net trust rating of 79 is just three points below the record-high “excellent” score of 82 in December 2013, and is close to the excellent 80 in August 2012.

Public trust in the US has been traditionally higher compared to other countries, the SWS noted.

The release of the SWS poll on the Filipinos trust in the United States coincided with the visit of US President Barack Obama in Manila yesterday.

The Philippines is the last stop on Obama’s four-nation Asia tour. Obama also visited Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.

Meanwhile, the survey said nine percent of respondents were undecided if they have much or little trust in the US, four percent answered somewhat little trust, and only two percent answered very little trust.

The First Quarter 2014 Social Weather Stations survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, the balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Trust in the US is excellent in all areas: 80 percent in Mindanao, 80 percent in balance Luzon, 79 percent in the Visayas, and 71 percent in Metro Manila, the SWS said.

It is also excellent in all classes, at 85 percent in class ABC, 78 percent in class D or the masa, and 78 percent in class E.

It is excellent in both men and women, at 80 percent and 77 percent, respectively.

It is excellent in all age groups, at 84 percent among 55 and above, 81 percent among 45-54, 77 percent among 25-34, 75 percent among 35-44, and 75 percent among 18-24.

Net trust in the US is also excellent in all educational levels, with higher scores among those with more formal education: 89 percent among college graduates, 79 percent among high school graduates, 77 percent among elementary school graduates, and 68 percent among those with at most some elementary education.

The survey has sampling error margin of plus or minus three percentage points for national percentages and plus or minus six percentage points for area percentages.

The 2013 Global Attitudes Project of Pew Research Center in Washington released recently showed that 85 percent of Filipinos have “favorable” view of the US.

Only 13 percent of Filipinos said they had an “unfavorable” view of the US, the survey showed.