President Marcos net satisfaction rating rises

MANILA, Philippines — After plummeting to its lowest in the first quarter of the year, satisfaction with President Marcos slightly improved in the latest survey conducted by pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS).

Results of the survey conducted from June 23 to July 1 found that 55 percent of adult Filipinos are satisfied with the performance of Marcos, up from 50 percent obtained in a similar survey in March.

Dissatisfaction with the President fell from 31 percent to 28 percent, while those who were undecided dropped from 19 percent to 15 percent.

This resulted in a net satisfaction rating of +27, classified by SWS as “moderate,” up from the “moderate” +20 that Marcos obtained in the March survey.

The net satisfaction rating is obtained by subtracting from those who said they were satisfied the percentage of those who were dissatisfied with the performance of the government official.

SWS classifies net satisfaction ratings of at least +70 as “excellent”; +50 to +69 as “very “good”; +30 to +49 as “good”; +10 to +29 as “moderate”; +9 to -9 as “neutral”; -10 to -29 as “poor”; -30 to -49 as “bad”; -50 to -69 as “very bad” and -70 and below as “execrable.”

Based on SWS data, Marcos started his term with a net satisfaction rating of “very good” +63 in October 2022 and “very good” +68 in December 2022. It went down to an average of +51 in 2023 and further plummeted this year.

Across areas, net satisfaction with Marcos was highest among those in balance Luzon at +38 (60 percent satisfied, 22 percent dissatisfied), followed by those in Metro Manila at +30 (57 percent satisfied, 26 percent dissatisfied), the Visayas at +26 (55 percent satisfied, 28 percent dissatisfied) and Mindanao at +5 (46 percent satisfied, 41 percent dissatisfied).

Although still lowest across areas, the President’s net satisfaction rating among those in Mindanao was already an improvement from the -19 he obtained in March (31 percent satisfied, 50 percent dissatisfied).

Net satisfaction with Marcos was slightly higher among men (+28) than women (+26), while it was significantly higher among those in rural areas (+34) compared to those living in urban areas (+23).

Across ages, it was highest among respondents 55 and above (+40), followed by 18-24 (+29), 45-54 (+21), 35-44 (+20) and 25-34 (+18).

Satisfaction with Marcos was lowest among college graduates (+12), followed by elementary graduates (+27), high school graduates (+29) and non-elementary graduates (+32).

The survey, conducted two years into the current administration, also asked the respondents about their expectations of the President.

Almost half or 48 percent said they expect Marcos to fulfill “a few” of his promises. Twenty percent said they expect him to fulfill none or almost none of his promises, 17 percent most and nine percent all or nearly all of it.

On their expectation about Marcos’ success, 60 percent said it is too early to tell, while 22 percent said the President will be successful. Some 18 percent said they expect him to be unsuccessful.