92% approve of government COVID-19 response – OCTA poll

MANILA, Philippines — About nine in every 10 Filipinos approved of the government’s response against COVID-19, according to a recent survey conducted by the OCTA Research group.

Results of the Oct. 23 to 27 survey released on Friday showed that 92 percent of the respondents approved of what the government has done to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Some 49 percent said they truly approve, while 43 percent said they somewhat approve. Only two percent said they truly approve or disapprove, while five percent said they cannot say.

The latest approval rating of the government in terms of COVID-19 response was higher than 83 percent obtained in a similar survey conducted by OCTA in March 2022.

Analyzing trends since January 2021, OCTA said there was a marked decrease in approval ratings in September 2021 (55 percent) and February 2022 (75 percent), coinciding periods when COVID-19 surges occurred.

Broken down into geographic areas, the latest survey showed that approval of government’s response against the pandemic was highest among respondents in Metro Manila and the Visayas at 94 percent, followed by those in the rest of Luzon at 92 percent and Mindanao at 91 percent.

It was highest among those in socio-economic classes D and E at 94 percent, followed by those in class ABC at 83 percent.

The survey had 1,200 adult respondents and a margin of error of +/- three percent.