About eight in 10 Filipinos believe that the Philippines‘ relationship with the United States is more important than its relationship with China, even though half of the population believe that the Philippines can strike a good relationship with both countries, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results released on Saturday showed.
In the 2019 third quarter survey conducted from Sept. 27 to 30 among 1,800 adult respondents, SWS found that 78 percent said the Philippines’ relationship with the United States is more important than its relationship with China, while 12 percent said the country’s relationship with China is more important than its relationship with the United States.
Five percent said the Philippines’ relationship with both the United States and China are equally important, while 4 percent did not give an answer.
However, SWS also found that of adult Filipinos believe it is possible for the Philippines to have a good relationship with both China and the United States at the same time, while 41 percent said it is not possible. Only 7 percent did not give an answer.
SWS also noted that those with much trust in China have stronger belief that the Philippines can have a good relationship with both China and the United States at the same time.
During the September survey, SWS found 21 percent of Filipinos had much trust, 23 percent were undecided, and 54 percent had little trust in China, which translates to a net trust rating (percent much trust minus percent little trust) of -33, classified by SWS as “bad.”
At the same time, 80 percent had much trust, 11 percent were undecided, and 8 percent had little trust in the United States, for an “excellent” net trust rating of +72.
The results of the net trust among select countries were released by SWS last November 20.
Among those with much trust in China, 67 percent said it is possible for the Philippines to have a good relationship with both China and the United States at the same time, higher than the 49 percent who said so among those who are undecided about their trust in China, and the 48 percent among those with little trust in China.
The proportion of those who believe that the Philippines can have a good relationship with both China and the US hardly varied at 53 percent among those with much trust in the United States, and at 50 percent among those who were undecided about their trust in the United States.
However, it was slightly lower at 45 percent among those with little trust in the United States.
SWS also said that those with little trust in China value the Philippines’ relationship with the United States more than its relationship with China.
Among those with little trust in China, 84 percent said the Philippines’ relationship with the United is more important than its relationship with China, higher than the 75 percent who said so among those who were undecided about their trust in China, and the 69 percent among those with much trust in China.
At the same time, the proportion of those who said the Philippines’ relationship with the United States is more important than its relationship with China was 84 percent among those with much trust in the United States, higher than the 57 percent who said so among those who were undecided about their trust in the US, and the 55 percent among those with little trust in the United States.
SWS noted that about half in all areas said it is possible for the Philippines to have a good relationship with both China and the United States at the same time. It was 53 percent in Mindanao, 52 percent in Metro Manila, 52 percent in the rest of Luzon, and 48 percent in Visayas.
The proportion of those who consider the Philippines’ relationship with the United States to be more important than its relationship with China was highest in the rest of Luzon at 83 percent, followed by Metro Manila at 79 percent, Visayas at 77 percent, and Mindanao at 67 percent. (Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz)
