SWS: 57% of Filipinos say quality of life worse this year

MANILA, Philippines — More than half of adults in the Philippines are worse off in 2021 than they were the year before, a poll conducted by the Social Weather Stations found.

The survey, conducted from September 12 to 16, saw 57% of respondents say that their quality of life worsened in the last 12 months. Only 13% said their quality of life got better while another 29% said it was the same. 

The results are equivalent to a -44 or "extremely low" Net Gainers score which is the percentage of those whose quality of life improved minus the percentage of those whose quality of life deteriorated, SWS said. 

It is also a 13 point drop from the -31 or "very low" Net Gainers score recorded in June of this year, arresting recovery from the -76 or "catastrophic" score in September 2020. 

SWS said it conducted the survey through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults evenly distributed across Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindano.  

Other findings 

• Net Gainers worsens in all areas: 'Catastrophic' in Metro Manila, 'extremely low' elsewhere

  • The capital region garnered a Net Gainers score of -51 or "catastrophic," down 21 points from the "very low" grade recorded in June 

  • The rest of the country also saw drops in their scores from June, all classified as "extremely low" 

• Net Gainers worsens for all education groups except college graduates

  • The Net Gainers score among elementary graduates is "extremely low" among non-elementary graduates, elementary graduates and high school graduates 

  • Only college graduates saw an improvement in their Net Gainers score, from -30 or "very low" in June to -26 or "low" in September 

Philippines scores last in global pandemic recovery index 

Nikkei's COVID-19 Recovery Index earlier this month ranked the Philippines the country furthest from overcoming the pandemic — behind a total of 120 other nations and areas. 

The index scores countries and regions on infection management, vaccination rollout and programs, and social mobility. 

The Philippines earned the 121st spot, falling one spot below its ranking from the previous edition of the index released in September. 

In a bid to keep the economy running, the national government is currently piloting a granular lockdown system instead of the region-wide restrictions it has imposed since early 2020. 

Earlier this week, the Department of Health said the country is now at low-risk classification for COVID-19 following the recent decline in recorded cases of the virus.