US, Canada, Japan most trusted by Filipinos – Social Weather Stations

MANILA, Philippines — The US, Canada and Japan are the countries most trusted by Filipinos, according to the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The three countries received “very good” net trust ratings of +68, +55 and +54, respectively, based on the SWS Dec. 8 to 16 poll last year.

Net trust score of the US went up eight points to +68 (75 percent much trust, seven percent little trust) from +60 percent last September.

Canada’s net trust rating, on the other hand, rose to +55 (65 percent much trust, 10 percent little trust) from “good” +41 percent previously.

In the case of Japan, its net trust rating jumped eight points from a “good” +46 to “very good” +54.

The survey said “moderate” trust ratings were recorded for Singapore at +29, Malaysia at +20, Thailand at +19, Indonesia at +18, Brunei at +16 and Vietnam at +13.

It found “neutral” net trust ratings for Myanmar at +8, Cambodia at +7, China at +7 and Laos at +3.

It found a “poor” -19 net trust rating for North Korea.

“Except for the US and North Korea, the net trust ratings last December were at least one grade higher compared to when they were last surveyed for all the countries tested in the survey,” the SWS said.

The SWS terminology for net trust ratings are as follows: +70 and above, “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”; +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; -70 and below, “execrable.”

China’s net trust rating rose from poor to neutral at +7 (38 percent much trust, 31 percent little trust) last December, up by 20 points from the -13 in September.

Trust in China improved amid its continued construction activities in the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

The Philippines, along with Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the potentially mineral-rich contested waters.

SWS noted that net trust in China has been positive in only nine out of 45 surveys since it first surveyed the country in August 1994.

Net trust rating also rose by three grades from very bad to neutral for Laos, at +3 (27 percent much trust, 24 percent little trust) in December, up by 54 points from the -51 in October 1995 when SWS first rated the country.

Net trust rating stayed poor for North Korea, at -19 (24 percent much trust, 43 percent little trust) last December, up by nine points from the -28 last September.

SWS first surveyed public trust in North Korea in March 2003 and found a net trust rating of bad -31.

Net trust in North Korea has since then been negative, ranging from a bad -34 in May 2012 to a neutral -5 last March.

The survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults, 18 years old and above, nationwide.