SWS: 3.6M Filipino families experienced hunger in Q4 2017

MANILA, Philippines — More Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the last quarter of 2017, the latest poll from the Social Weather Stations showed.

An estimated 3.6 million families or 15.9 percent experienced involuntary hunger in the past three months—a 4.1 point increase from the 11.8 percent (2.7 million families) in September 2017.

The December survey was the highest reading for hunger since the 17.2 percent in December 2014.

That brought 2017’s average hunger rate to 12.3 percent, one point below the 13.3 percent in 2016. The polling firm noted that this is the lowest annual average for hunger since the 11.8 percent in 2005.

Approximately 2.8 million families (12.2 percent) experienced moderate hunger, rising by 2.6 points from September.

The number of those who faced severe hunger also rose slightly by 1.6 points during the third quarter to around 493,000 families (3.7 percent).

Moderate hunger refers to those who experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times,” while severe hunger refers to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the last three months.

READ: SWS: More Filipino families experienced hunger

SWS noted that the rise in quarterly hunger amid the drop in self-rated poverty was due an “increase of hunger among both the self-rated poor and self-rated non-poor.”

From September to December 2017, quarterly hunger swelled by 8.2 points among the self-rated poor to 24.9 percent. It also increased by 1.5 points among the non-poor, going to 8.9 percent.

Hunger likewise grew by 9 points among self-rated food poor to 28.8 percent in December from 19.8 percent in September and 2.1 points among not food-poor or food-borderline to 9.9 percent from 8 percent.

READ: SWS: Self-rated poverty eased in Q4 2017

Hunger rises in all areas

The December poll also reported that hunger during the fourth quarter of 2017 rose in all areas.

It grew by 3 points in Metro Manila to 15.9 percent (around 457,000 families) in September, 3.9 in Balance Luzon to 17.7 percent (1.4 million families), 3.6 points in the Visayas to 13.3 percent (427,000 families) and 5.6 points in Mindanao to 15.3 percent (506,000).

The fourth quarter poll was conducted from Dec. 8 to 16, 2017 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults.

It has sampling error margins of ±2.5% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Annual hunger rates, or the annual averages, have a sampling error margin of ±1.5%.