SWS: 51% of Pinoys have little trust in China

MANILA, Philippines - Half of Filipinos have “little trust” in China, according to a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey taken a little more than two weeks before the United Nations-backed tribunal ruled against its claims on the South China Sea.

The SWS poll, conducted from June 24 to 27, found 51 percent of Filipino adults having “little trust” in China, and 27 percent having “much trust” in it.

The remaining 19 percent of respondents were undecided.

On July 12, the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague ruled on a case filed by the Philippines against China in 2013.

In a 501-page unanimous “award,” the court ruled, among others, that China did not have historic rights over that disputed part of the South China Sea and that its 1947-vintage “nine-dash line” that drew such territorial boundary was invalid.

The SWS poll, however, showed that compared to its April survey, the “gross trust” in China rose nine points from 18 percent, while the “gross distrust” fell five points from 56 percent.

The number of undecided respondents or “gross undecided” also fell five points from 24 percent.

China’s net trust score in fact improved to -24, which is classified by SWS as “poor” from the “bad” -37 registered in April.

The survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide and has sampling error margins of plus or minus three percentage points.

SWS classifies net trust ratings of at least +70 as “excellent”; +50 to +69 as “very good;” +30 to +49, “good;” +10 to +29, “moderate;”+9 to -9, “neutral;” -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad” and -50 to -69, “very bad.”