SWS: Fewer hungry Filipino families in Q1 of 2018

MANILA, Philippines — The number of Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger decreased in the first quarter of 2018, according to the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations. 

The poll, conducted from March 23 to 27, found that 9.9 percent or around 2.3 million families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months—down by 6 percentage points from the 15.9 percent or around 3.6 million families in December 2017.

Hunger incidence also dropped by 2 points from the 11.9 percent or about 2.7 million households who said that they have experienced involuntary hunger in the same period last year.

The pollster noted that the March reading was the second time that hunger has been in the single-digit range since March 2004’s 7.4 percent.

The lowest reading since March 2004 was recorded in June 2017 at 9.5 percent or an estimated 2.2 million Filipino families.

Approximately 2 million (8.6 percent) families experienced moderate hunger, dropping by 3.6 points from 12.2 percent in December 2017.

Severe hunger also fell by 2.4 points from 3.7 percent in December 2017 to 1.3 percent or around  306,000 families.

Moderate hunger refers to those who experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times,” while severe hunger refers to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the last three months.

The hunger level decreased in all areas in the country since the last survey in December 2017.

It dropped from 14.7 percent in December to 6 percent in March in Metro Manila; 17.7 percent to 11 percent in Balance Luzon; 13.3 percent to 13 percent Visayas; and 15.3 percent to 7.33 percent in Mindanao.

SWS noted that the 6-point drop in the quarterly hunger was due to a “decrease in the incidence of hunger among both the self-rated poor and self-rated non-poor.”

Hunger declined among the self-rated poor from 24.9 percent in December to 16.7 percent in March; 8.9 percent to 4.9 percent among non-poor; 28.8 percent to 20.8 percent among self-rated food poor; and 9.9 percent to 5.4 percent among non-food-poor or food borderline.

The first quarter poll was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults.

It has a sampling error margin of ±3% for national percentages, ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.