SWS: Duterte records new personal high satisfaction rating

MANILA, Philippines — Public satisfaction with President Rodrigo Duterte reached a fresh record high in the second quarter of 2019 despite declines in Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao, according to the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations.

Results of the June 22 to 26 poll showed that 80% of adult Filipinos are satisfied with Duterte’s performance—up by one point from 79% recorded in the first quarter.

Twelve percent said they are satisfied with the performance of the chief executive, while 9% answered they are undecided.

This yielded a net satisfaction rating of +68, classified by SWS as “very good.”

“This is a new personal record-high that surpassed the previous record of ‘very good’ +66 in March 2019 and June 2017,” the polling firm noted.

SWS attributed the two-point increase in Duterte’s net satisfaction rating to the nine-point increase in Luzon from “very good” +56 in March to “very good” +65 in June.

The net satisfaction rating stayed “excellent” in Mindanao at +81 in June, although down by seven points from +88 in March.

It remained “very good” in the Visayas at +66 despite a three-point decline and in Metro Manila at +59 although down by two points.

The president’s net satisfaction rating rose to “excellent” among 25 to 34-year-olds at +72, among 55 years old and older at +70 and among high school graduates at +74. It remained “excellent” among 35 to 44-year-olds.

It stayed “very good” in class E at +68, class D or the masa at +68, in class ABC at +58, among women at +69, among men at +67, among 45 to 54-year-olds and among elementary school graduates at +62.

The survey was conducted two weeks after a Chinese vessel rammed a Filipino fishing boat near Recto Bank and less than a week after Duterte downplayed the incident as a “little maritime accident.”

The survey has sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.