US remains Pinoys’ most trusted country – SWS

MANILA, Philippines — The United States remained the most trusted country among Filipinos, based on the first quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The US received a net trust rating of +60 (70 percent much trust, 10 percent little trust) – classified by the SWS as “very good” – in March 2019.

The poll was taken from March 28 to 31, using face-to-face interviews with 1,440 adults nationwide.

The net trust score was unchanged at +60 (71 percent much trust, 11 percent little trust) registered in December 2018. It has been positive since SWS first surveyed it in December 1994, ranging from a moderate +18 in May 2005 to as high as excellent +82 in December 2013. It has been at +60 and above in six out of seven surveys since June 2017, the SWS said.

Japan and Australia both obtained “good” net trust ratings, at +34 (54 percent much trust, 20 percent little trust) and +33 (51 percent much trust, 18 percent little trust), respectively in the first quarter of the year.

Japan obtained a +34 net trust rating (53 percent much trust, 19 percent little trust) in December last year.

Australia’s net trust rating, on the other hand, went up two points to +33. It was a +31 (49 percent much trust, 19 percent little trust) in December 2018.

Meanwhile, China got a net trust rating of “neutral” -6 (32 percent much trust, 39 percent little trust).

The net trust rating of China rose by a point from -7 (31 percent much trust, 39 percent little trust) in December last year.

According to the SWS, China’s net trust score has been positive in only nine out of 49 surveys of SWS since August 1994.

It reached as high as moderate +17 in June 2010 and as low as a bad -46 in September 2015, the SWS noted.

“Compared to when they were last surveyed, the March 2019 net trust ratings stayed within the same grade for all four countries,” the pollster said.

SWS classifies net trust ratings of +70 and above, as “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.”

For Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., the US should appreciate that it is the country most trusted by Filipinos, based on an earlier SWS survey.

The survey listed EU as being the second most trusted, followed by Russia and China.

But Locsin said it was wrong to include EU and Russia in the survey as the two were irrelevant.

“Proper choice is between just US and China. The US would be in the stratosphere. We all recognize that won’t change. Hope US appreciates it,” Locsin said in a tweet yesterday. Locsin earlier said the US would remain the only military ally of the Philippines. – With  Pia Lee-Brago