4 in 10 Filipinos say quality of life got worse — SWS

MANILA, Philippines — Four in 10 Filipinos said their lives got worse in the past 12 months, a poll conducted by Social Weather Stations suggested.

The survey done from December 12 to 16, 2021 asked 1,440 Filipinos: “Comparing your quality of life these days to how it was 12 months ago, would you say your quality of life is better now than before, same as before, or worse now than before?”

Forty percent of the respondents said their quality of life became worse (classified by SWS as “losers”) after 12 months, while 24% said it got better (classified as “gainers”). Thirty-six percent of the respondents said their lives remained unchanged.

The net gainers score—gainers minus losers—was -16, which SWS classified as “mediocre.” The figure was 28 points higher than -44 logged in September 2021, but still 34 points below the pre-pandemic level of +18 recorded in December 2019.

“The 28-point rise in the national net gainers score between September 2021 and December 2021 was due to improvements in all areas, especially in Metro Manila and Mindanao,” the polling firm explained.

The net gainers score in the capital region was up by 40 points, to “mediocre” -11 in December from “catastrophic” -51.

The net gainers scores in Mindanao and Balance Luzon were classified “mediocre” from “extremely low.” The figure was up by 32 points in Mindanao to -15 and up by 30 points to -11 in Luzon.

The score in Visayas rose by 15 points, from -46 to -31, classified as “very low.”

The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults. The sampling error margins were ±2.6% for national percentages and ±5.2% for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao.

The Philippines started to scrap most COVID-19 restrictions this month following a drop in infections and increased vaccinations.