More Filipinos are optimistic that their personal quality of life and the economy will get better in 2018, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said in its latest survey.
Forty-seven percent of Filipino adults expect their lives to improve in the next 12 months against only four percent who expect it to get worse, yielding a net personal optimism of +42, classified by the SWS as “excellent.”
This was two points above the excellent +40 (44 optimists, four percent pessimists) in June.
The poll was conducted from Sept. 23 to 27 using face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults nationwide.
SWS noted that net personal optimism had been excellent (+40 and above) since December 2015, except in March 2017 when it was a very high +36.
The pollster attributed the two-point rise in net personal optimism nationwide to increases in Mindanao, Metro Manila and the Visayas.
rose by one grade from very high to excellent in Mindanao, from +37 in June to +46 in September.
It stayed excellent in Metro Manila, up by six points from +46 to +52.
It stayed very high in the Visayas, up by three points from +36 to +39.
However, net personal optimism fell by one grade from excellent to very high in balance Luzon, from +42 to +39.
Net personal optimism also improved by one grade from very high to excellent in class ABC, up by 14 points from +39 in June to +53 in September.
It stayed excellent in class D, or the masa. It was up by a point from +41 to +42.
It stayed very high in class E, up by a point from +37 to +38.
The September 2017 survey also found nearly half of Filipinos expect a better economy.
It found 43 percent of Filipino adults who are optimistic that the general economy would get better next year while 12 percent feel it would deteriorate, resulting in a net optimism score of +30, also classified as excellent.
This was three points higher than the excellent +27 (39 percent optimistic about the economy, 12 percent pessimistic about the economy) in June.
Net optimism about the economy had been excellent (+20 and above) in all eight surveys since December 2015.
SWS said net optimism about the economy remained excellent in all areas.
by: H. Flores, PS