57% of Pinoys think ‘worst yet to come’ – SWS

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly six in 10 Filipino adults think “the worst is yet to come” in the COVID-19 crisis, a new poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The latest mobile phone survey, conducted by SWS on July 3-6, found 57 percent of Filipinos saying the country has yet to see the worst of the pandemic.

This is higher than the 47-percent result when respondents were asked the same question last May.

The proportion of those who feared “the worst is yet to come” was highest in Metro Manila at 70 percent (from 50 percent in May), followed by the Visayas at 61 percent (from 54 percent), balance Luzon at 56 percent (from 43 percent) and Mindanao at 49 percent (from 48 percent).

On the other hand, those who said “the worst is behind us” were highest in Mindanao at 41 percent (from 42 percent in May), followed by balance Luzon at 35 percent (49 percent), the Visayas at 33 percent (from 38 percent) and Metro Manila at 26 percent (43 percent).

However, the new survey was conducted two months before experts claimed that the country had flattened the curve of COVID-19 cases after Metro Manila and nearby provinces were reverted to stricter modified enhanced community quarantine for two weeks last month.

Belief that the “worst is yet to come” was more prevalent among respondents with education, the SWS noted.

It was highest among college graduates at 63 percent, followed by junior high school graduates at 59 percent, non-elementary graduates at 50 percent and elementary graduates at 49 percent.

Conversely, those who believe “the worst is behind us” were highest among non-elementary graduates at 41 percent, followed by elementary graduates at 38 percent, junior high school graduates at 34 percent and college graduates at 33 percent.

The nationwide survey used mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone interviewing of a total of 1,555 working-age Filipinos, aged 18 and above.