Duterte admin satisfaction rating dips but still 'very good,' SWS says

MANILA, Philippines — Almost six in 10 Filipinos are satisfied with the performance of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, a September 2017 survey by polling agency Social Weather Stations found.

The +58 (71 percent satisfied, 13 percent dissatisfied) net satisfaction rating recorded in September 2017 was lower however than the +64 satisfaction score recorded in June, SWS noted.

Although it went down by six points, the polling agency says that the latest satisfaction rating obtained by the administration is still classified as "very good."

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SWS said that the six-point dip in the Duterte administration's satisfaction score was because of the 16-point plunge in Metro Manila and the 11-point dive in Balance Luzon.

These steep reductions were offset by the increase of two points in Mindanao, the president's home region, and one point in the Visayas.

People in Metro Manila polled by SWS gave the president a "very good" +51 net rating, but this was lower than the similarly "very good" rating in June at +67.

In Balance Luzon, from +63 in June, the satisfaction level with the Duterte administration's performance went down to +52 in September.

"The National Administration’s net rating stayed excellent in Mindanao, at +74 in September 2017, up by 2 points from +72 in June 2017. It stayed very good in the Visayas, at +57 in September, hardly changing from +56 in June," SWS said.

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Malacañang expressed gratitude over the "very good" satisfaction rating the administration got and said that this showed that the people appreciated the work of the president.

"This (Duterte, September 2017 +58) remains the highest first fifth quarter net satisfaction rating (Aquino, September 2011 +56; Arroyo, March 2002 +12; Estrada, October 1999 +2; Ramos, September 1993+14)," presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said, conspicuously ignoring that the current satisfaction rating was lower than the score it got in June 2017.

Abella said that the administration's effort to bring a "comfortable life to all" had started to "bear fruits" as seen in the positive ratings it got in different areas of governance.

"Rest assured that the whole executive branch under the leadership of PRRD will continue to lay down the foundations of a progressive and inclusive nation where there is prosperity, trustworthy government and long-lasting peace," he added.

In terms of social class, the Duterte administration's September 2017 ratings ranged from good to very good.

Among class ABC, the satisfaction rating of the administration went up by five points, from +55 in June 2017 to +60 in September 2017. SWS classifies these ratings as "very good."

Among class D or the masses, the net satisfaction rating of the administration in September 2017 remains "very good" at +60 although this was down from +64 in June 2017.

The Duterte government's satisfaction rating shed by 22 points among members of class E, from +68 to +46 in September 2017. This represented a decline from "very good" to "good."

"Double-digit declines in the National Administration’s net satisfaction rating occurred among men, among 55 year olds and above, and among non-elementary school graduates and college graduates," SWS stated.

SWS classifies ratings 70 or above as "excellent," 50 to 69 as "very good," 30 to 49 as "good," 10 to 29 as "moderate," 9 to -9 as "neutral," –10 to –29 as “poor,” –30 to –49 as “bad,” –50 to –69 as “very bad,” –70 or below as “execrable.”

The polling firm also surveyed the satisfaction ratings of the Duterte administration in terms of specific areas.

It got "very good" ratings in four subjects, "good" in eight and moderate on five, according to SWS.

The polling firm said that the rating of the government declined in four areas, improved in one subject and remained steady in others compared to the scores it got in June 2017.

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The government was rated "very good" in helping the poor (+67), protecting the environment (+58), defending the country's territorial rights (+52) and providing jobs (+50).

The government was "good" in distributing lands to deserving tillers under land reform (+49), fighting terrorism (+47), protecting human rights (+46), foreign relations (+40), reconciling with Muslim rebels (+38), eradicating graft and corruption (+35), reconciling with communist rebels (+35) and fighting crimes (+30).

"It was moderate on: Ensuring that no family will ever be hungry (+29), Recovering the ''hidden wealth'' stolen by Marcos and his cronies (+28), Resolving the traffic problem (+22), Solving the problem of extra judicial killings or EJK (+22), Fighting inflation (+21)," the polling firm said.

The September 2017 survey was conducted from September 23 to 27, 2017 using face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults. Six hundred people were polled in Balance Luzon while 300 each were surveyed in the other areas.