4.1 million Filipinos stranded due to quarantine — poll

MANILA, Philippines — An estimated 4.1 million Filipinos were stranded across the country due to quarantine measures implemented in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The mobile survey, conducted from May 4 to 10 with the results released yesterday, showed that 5.4 percent of the 4,010 working-age Filipino respondents were stranded by quarantines.

SWS said this translates to an estimated 4.1 million stranded Filipinos based on the 2020 projected population of 75.8 million working-age persons in the country.

Based on the survey, the proportion of those stranded in another place is highest in Mindanao at 6.4 percent (estimated 1.1 million), followed by Luzon at 5.3 percent (estimated 1.8 million), Visayas at five percent (estimated 710,000) and Metro Manila at 4.8 percent (490,000).

Based on quarantine status, around two million were stranded in areas under enhanced community quarantine at time of the survey, with 2.1 million in general community quarantine areas.

The proportion of those stranded by quarantines was higher among men at 6.2 percent (estimated 2.3 million) than women at 4.7 percent (estimated 1.8 million).

The survey, which had an error margin of plus or minus two percent for national scores, was conducted using mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone interviewing.

COVID stress

Meanwhile, nine in every 10 Filipinos experienced stress due to COVID-19, the same SWS mobile survey showed.

The survey results released on Friday showed that the pandemic brought stress to 89 percent of the respondents (55 percent great stress, 34 percent much stress).

Only 11 percent felt little or no stress because of it.

According to SWS, stress is higher among families that experienced involuntary hunger and those who lost their jobs or had their salaries reduced.

The survey showed that 68 percent of the hungry felt great stress, compared to 52 percent who did not experience it.

Previous survey results showed that 16.7 percent of families or an estimated 4.2 million experienced involuntary hunger – hunger due to lack of food to eat – in May 2020, double the 8.8 percent or the estimated 2.1 million families in December 2019.

In terms of employment, 58 percent of those who have a job but were not receiving pay experienced great stress, one point higher than the 57 percent among those who currently do not have a job but used to have one.

Great stress was experienced among 52 percent of those who have jobs and are receiving full pay and 51 percent among those who never had a job.