Inflation graphics. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Controlling inflation remains the top concern for Filipinos, a polling firm Pulse Asia survey a month before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) showed.
A report from Pulse Asia released on Friday showed that 72 percent of Filipinos feel controlling inflation should be immediately addressed by the administration, which is followed by increasing the pay of workers (44 percent), reducing the poverty of Filipinos (32 percent), creating more jobs (30 percent), and fighting graft and corruption in the government (22 percent).
Controlling inflation was also the top concern across all locales and financial classes — 67 percent of National Capital Region (NCR) residents considered it as a top issue, along with 74 percent of respondents from Balance Luzon, 66 percent from Visayas, and 77 percent from Mindanao.
For Class ABC, 64 percent said inflation was the most pressing issue, while 73 percent of Class D and 74 percent of Class E aired the same sentiments.
“For most Filipino adults (72%), controlling the spiraling prices of basic commodities is the issue that should be immediately addressed by the national administration. This is the only issue, out of 17, that is considered as an urgent national concern by the majority of the country’s adult population,” Pulse Asia said.
“The second urgent national concern is increasing the pay of workers (44%) while sharing the third spot are reducing poverty (32%) and creating more jobs (30%). Fighting corruption in government (22%) and addressing the problem of involuntary hunger (20%) comprise a fourth set of national issues that the present dispensation should immediately deal with,” it added.
Controlling inflation has been a major concern for Pulse Asia respondents since June 2023, when a similar survey showed 63 percent of Filipinos marking it a pressing issue. The numbers jumped to 74 percent in September 2023, and it has remained at the 70 percent-mark ever since — 72 percent in December 2023, 70 percent in March 2024, and the 72 percent mark this June.
Most respondents also gave a negative score in terms of the administration’s efforts in managing the prices of goods and other commodities. In the same survey, the net approval rating of the Marcos administration for controlling inflation was at -71.
The second-worst score was with reducing poverty (-34), followed by fighting graft and corruption (-15), increasing the pay of workers (-15), and addressing the problem of involuntary hunger (-9).
Good reviews
On the other hand, there were nine issues where the administration got a positive net approval rating:
- Protecting the welfare of OFWs (+64)
- Responding to the needs of areas affected by calamities (+57)
- Defending the integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners (+30)
- Promoting peace in the country (+30)
- Stopping the destruction and abuse of our environment (+27)
- Providing assistance to farmers including selling their products (+27)
- Fighting criminality (+26)
- Enforcing the law on all, whether influential or ordinary people (+24)
- Creating more jobs (+2)
“The present national administration scores majority approval ratings on only two (2) national issues (out of 14); public assessment of the administration’s handling of five (5) issues changes significantly from March 2024 to June 2024,” Pulse Asia said.
“Most Filipino adults are appreciative of the incumbent administration’s efforts to protect the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (70%) and to respond to the needs of calamity-hit areas (64%). Approval is the plurality sentiment toward the latter’s handling of six (6) issues. These are defending national territorial integrity (48%), promoting peace (47%), fighting criminality (47%), protecting the environment (46%), helping farmers (46%), and enforcing the rule of law (43%),” it added.
According to Pulse Asia, the interviews for the survey were conducted from June 17 to 24, 2024 — a month before the Sona — using face-to-face interviews of Filipino adults aged 18 years and above.
Pulse Asia maintains a ± 2% error margin at the 95% confidence level, while subnational estimates for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have a ± 4% error margin, also at 95% confidence level.
