Filipinos' opinion split GMA's performance, says Pulse Asia survey

Filipinos’ assessment of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's performance is generally unchanged with current public opinion split on the President’s work, according to Pulse Asia's latest Ulat ng Bayan survey.

According to Pulse Asia's June 28 – July 10 Ulat ng Bayan Survey that views Pres. Arroyo's performance between April and July 2007, Filipinos are divided in their assessment of the President’s performance in the past three months with 36% of them ambivalent on the matter, 34% critical, and 30% appreciative of her work.

These figures are practically the same as those recorded in April 2007. As in previous surveys, those in the Visayas continue to grant the President her highest approval rating (41%). They are followed by those in Mindanao (38%).

On the other hand, Metro Manilans (37%) and those in the rest of Luzon (40%) are most critical of presidential performance. As for indecision, nearly the same figures are posted in the rest of Luzon, the Visayas, and Metro Manila (36% to 41%).

Across socio-economic classes, levels of approval and indecision as regards the President’s work are generally constant (28% to 33% for approval and 35% to 39% for indecision).

However, the President’s disapproval ratings range from 28% in the poorest Class E to 37% in the most numerous Class D.

For the most part, presidential performance ratings remain unchanged between April and July 2007 across geographic areas and socio-economic groupings. Nonetheless, there is a 10-percentage point increase in her approval rating in the best-off Class ABC as well as an increase of 8 percentage points in her indecision rating in Metro Manila.

Additionally, levels of disapproval drop by 9 percentage points in Metro Manila and 13 percentage points in Class ABC.

While there is hardly any movement – positive or negative – in President Arroyo’s ratings between April and July 2007, the approval ratings of the country’s other top government officials increase by 10 to 14 percentage points during this period.

Furthermore, two of them – Vice-President Noli L. de Castro and Senate President Manuel B. Villar, Jr. – currently enjoy majority approval ratings of 55% and 67%, respectively. In the case of House Speaker Jose C. de Venecia, he registers almost the same approval and indecision ratings (34% and 39%, respectively) while for Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, public ambivalence is the predominant public sentiment (46%).

On average, the top 5 government officials of the Philippines record an approval rating of 44%, indecision rating of 35%, and disapproval rating of 21% (See Table3) and (See Table4).

Even as the Arroyo administration’s approval ratings on 11 (out of 12) national issues go up by 8 to 13 percentage points between March and July 2007, it is still unable to register a majority approval rating on any of these issues.

Filipinos are most appreciative of the Arroyo administration’s efforts to encourage new investments in the country (42%). On the other hand, disapproval is the predominant sentiment towards the national administration’s initiatives in the areas of increasing the pay of workers (41%), eradicating political killings (42%), eradicating corruption (47%), controlling inflation (48%), and reducing poverty (48%).

All of these issues (except for political killings) are considered urgent by 35% to 54% of Filipinos. As regards indecision ratings, they range from 24% (graft and corruption as well as poverty reduction) to 37% (public trust in government and its officials).

For the most part, disapproval and indecision ratings are constant between March and July 2007.

Almost six in ten Filipinos (59%) are aware of the previous State of the Nation Addresses (SONAs) delivered by President Arroyo while the rest of them (41%) have not heard or read anything about these speeches.

Across the country’s geographic areas and socio-economic classes, those belonging to Class ABC (74%) are most aware of the President’s past SONAs while lack of awareness is most pronounced in Mindanao (50%) and in Class E (51%).

Among those aware, 52% cannot say if the President’s past SONAs were truthful or not while indecision as regards the truthfulness of President Arroyo’s SONA to be delivered on 23 July 2007 is expressed by 55%. These views are expressed by big pluralities to small majorities across geographic areas and socio-economic groupings (40% to 62%)

On the other hand, 32% say the previous SONAs of President Arroyo were not truthful while 16% believe them to be truthful while in the case of the upcoming SONA, 29% think it will not be truthful while 16% express a contrary view. These figures are relatively unchanged from those recorded last year.

Based on a multistage probability sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above, Pulse Asia’s nationwide survey has a +/- 3% error margin at the 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey (i.e., Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) have a +/- 6% error margin, also at 95% confidence level. Face-to-face field interviews for this project were conducted from June 28 to July 10, 2007.

Pulse Asia undertakes Ulat ng Bayan surveys on its own without any party singularly commissioning the research effort.