Publicus Asia Inc. has moved to correct a figure circulating online that attributes a “-27% net performance rating” to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying the claim misrepresents what its survey actually measured.
In a statement, the polling firm said the number being shared does not pertain to the President’s personal standing. Instead, it refers to an assessment of the Cabinet as a collective body under the administration. Publicus described the attribution as “statistically incorrect and misleading,” stressing that the figure was taken out of context from its Pahayag survey.
“The figure being cited does not refer to the President’s individual performance rating,” the firm said. “Rather, it pertains to the overall performance rating of the Marcos administration’s Cabinet.”
According to Publicus, the survey—conducted from December 7 to 10, 2025—showed the Cabinet’s overall approval at 24 percent, a decline from 27 percent in the previous quarter. Over the same period, disapproval of the Cabinet rose to 51 percent, while 25 percent of respondents said they were undecided.
The firm emphasized that its measurements for the President and for the Cabinet rely on separate indicators and are not interchangeable. Net ratings, which are typically calculated by subtracting disapproval from approval, cannot be transferred from one subject of evaluation to another, it said.
“The Cabinet’s results cannot be falsely linked to the President’s individual performance,” Publicus added.
The polling firm also called on content creators, the public, and media organizations to verify survey sources, methodologies, and interpretations before sharing results, warning that misused data can distort public understanding and policy debate.
Beyond the clarification on government ratings, the same Pahayag 2025 End-of-the-Year Survey recorded a broad decline in public trust in Philippine news media across platforms, including television, print, online, and radio. The drop was not confined to a single medium, pointing instead to a wider erosion of confidence.
Television news continued to post moderate trust levels overall, but all major broadcasters registered quarter-on-quarter declines. Trust in GMA fell to 40 percent from 45 percent, TV5/Interaksyon dropped to 26 percent from 33 percent, and state-run PTV4 declined to 14 percent from 18 percent.
Print and online outlets showed similar movement. All organizations tracked in the survey posted lower trust scores, with declines most pronounced among low-income households, which accounted for decreases in 14 of the 15 outlets measured. Respondents aged 18 to 24 also registered sharper drops than other age groups.
Among specific outlets, Rappler’s trust rating fell from 27 percent to 21 percent, while Newswatch Plus declined from 31 percent to 25 percent.
Radio, often regarded as a stable and community-oriented medium, was not spared. Major radio networks also saw trust scores fall, driven largely by consistent declines among low-income listeners across all surveyed stations.
Researchers noted that the downturn in media trust may reflect a perceived disconnect between news coverage and the day-to-day realities of audiences, or a redirection of public frustration toward outlets that report extensively on corruption, scandals, and governance issues.
The survey further documented generational differences in information consumption. Baby Boomers and Generation X remain closely tied to traditional media such as television, newspapers, and AM radio. Millennials show the widest mix of sources, combining television use comparable to older groups with heavy reliance on Facebook and general internet browsing. Generation Z, while still using the internet and Facebook, is significantly more inclined to obtain information through friends, colleagues, and relatives, indicating a shift toward peer-based information flows.
The Pahayag 2025 End-of-the-Year Survey is an independent, non-commissioned nationwide study involving 1,500 registered voters selected through purposive sampling from PureSpectrum, a US-based market research panel. Pahayag is a corporate social responsibility initiative of Publicus Asia Inc., which has been tracking public opinion metrics since 2017 through its research arm, Vox Opinion Research.
