A new nationwide survey has recorded a sharp rise in Filipinos who feel their living conditions have deteriorated over the past year, marking the most negative reading in more than a year.
Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported that 32 percent of respondents said their quality of life worsened compared to 12 months ago. The figure stood at 23 percent in June. At the same time, the share of those who felt their situation stayed unchanged slipped to 38 percent, while those who believed their lives improved fell to 32 percent.
The contrasting movements produced a “net gainers” score of -2. SWS noted that the last time the score reached this level was in September 2023. The indicator represents the numerical gap between those who saw improvements and those who saw declines, rounded off for reporting.
Regional patterns showed varying levels of resilience. Mindanao recorded the highest “net gainers” rating at +3, although this was significantly lower than its previous +16. The Visayas followed at +1 from +22. The balance of Luzon registered -4, down from +6, while Metro Manila posted -8 after previously recording +10.
The survey also tracked consistent declines across demographics. All age brackets and all education groups saw their “net gainers” scores weaken. Respondents who identified their households as not poor registered relatively higher ratings compared with those who described themselves as borderline or poor.
The poll was conducted from Sept. 24 to 30 among 1,500 adults nationwide and carries a margin of error of ±3 percentage points.
