SWS: 3 in 10 Filipinos believe quality of life will improve next year

MANILA, Philippines — A recent poll conducted by the Social Weather Stations found that 33% of adult Filipinos are optimistic that their quality of life will improve in the next 12 months. 

Another 45% of survey respondents predict their quality of life will stay the same next year while 7% believe it will worsen. 

This is equivalent to a Net Personal Optimism score — the percentage of those who are optimistic minus the percentage of those who are pessimistic — of +26 or "high." 

However, it is a drop from the "very high" rating of +30 recorded in June. 

"Still, the last four surveys show the continuing recovery from the historic lows of -19 in May 2020 and -10 in July 2022," SWS said. 

The survey was conducted from September 12 to 16 through in-person interviews with 1,200 respondents evenly spread out across Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. 

A separate poll also conducted by SWS in September found that 53% of Filipinos saw their quality of life worsen in the last 12 months. 

Other findings 

• Net Personal Optimism falls in Luzon but rises in the Visayas and Mindanao

  • SWS said the four-point decline in the national optimism score was due to 10-point drops in Metro Manila and Balance Luzon

  • On the other hand, net optimism increased by six points in Mindanao and three points in the Visayas

  • The optimism score is lowest in the Visayas, however, at +18 points or "fair"

• Net Personal Optimism drops in all education groups except non-elementary graduates

  • Although optimism dropped by six points among college graduates, they still garnered the highest score of +36 or "very high"

  • Elementary graduates were the least optimistic at +17 points, down from the +25 recorded in June 

• Net Personal Optimism is higher among those whose quality of life improved in the last 12 months, lower among those whose quality of life worsened  

  • Those who said the quality of their lives improved this year had a net optimism score of +52 or "excellent", trailed by those who said nothing changed at +32 or "very high" 

  • Respondents who said their quality of life deteriorated were the least optimistic at +18 or "fair"