Pulse Asia: Duterte's trust rating slightly declines

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte saw his trust rating decrease by 5 percentage points, from 91 percent in July to 86 percent in September, according to the latest survey by Pulse Asia.

Results of the nationwide "Ulat ng Bayan" survey released on Wednesday showed a more pronounced "ambivalence toward presidential performance in his first three months in office."

Respondents who are undecided about Duterte's performance jumped from 8 percent to 11 percent, while more also said they distrust the country's leader. Expression of distrust increased from 0.2 percent around the time of his inauguration in July to 3 percent in September.

The nationwide survey is based on a sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above with a 3 percent margin of error.

While still trusted by the majority, Duterte lost most percentage points in Metro Manila, where his rating dropped to 81 percent from a record 92 percent.

There are more representative respondents in the capital region—at 6 percent—who said they distrust the president. In comparison, there was virtually no expression of distrust in July when the survey was conducted.

Apart from Metro Manila, Duterte also lost trust ratings across all geographical sectors and socio-economic groupings since July.

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The Pulse Asia report, however, noted that the decline in Duterte's national trust score is "not considered significant," since the marginal movement in the score still falls within the +/-3 percentage points.

"Appreciation for his work and trust in him are sentiments expressed by most Filipinos (86%) toward President Rodrigo R. Duterte," the pollster said in the report. — Infographic by Jonathan Asuncion