Filipinos still most concerned about taming inflation – Pulse Asia survey

MANILA, Philippines — Managing the increase in the prices of goods and services remains the top concern of most Filipinos, a recent survey by Pulse Asia found.

According to a Pulse Asia poll conducted last June 19 to 23, three out of five Filipinos or 63% said that controlling inflation is the most urgent concern that the national government must address.

This was the same finding in a similar survey that Pulse Asia conducted June 2022 wherein 57% of respondents said that inflation was the most urgent national concern. Pulse Asia also said that public opinion about top national concerns is “virtually unchanged” from March to June 2023.

Controlling inflation was the most prominent concern among all regions, the highest number of which came from the National Capital Region (NCR) where 71% expressed concern, while 56% in Balance Luzon (BL), 65% in Visayas (VIS), and 68% in Mindanao (MIN) echoed the sentiment.

The issue of inflation also resonated across different socio-economic classes with 67% of the ABC class and 62% of classes D and E expressing concern.

The second top concern among Filipinos pertained to increasing workers’ pay at 44%, followed by creating more jobs (31%) and reducing poverty (30%).

Other concerns highlighted in the survey were fighting graft and corruption in government (25%) equal enforcement of the law on all citizens (16%), addressing involuntary hunger (15%), providing assistance to farmers, including facilitating the sale of their products (13%), fighting criminality (11%), promoting peace in the country (10%), and supporting small entrepreneurs in restoring their businesses (7%).

The Pulse Asia survey was conducted among 1,200 adults aged 18 and above. The survey results have a margin of approximately ± 2.8% at a 95% confidence level.

Price inflation has been on a downward trend for five consecutive months and had cooled to 6% in June for the first time in over a year.

However, government projections peg that headline inflation will remain above 5% throughout the year. — Cristina Chi