Fewer Filipinos are optimistic that the quality of life and the country’s economy will improve in the next 12 months, according to the latest Social Weather Stations survey.
The nationwide survey conducted last March 25 to 28 with 1,200 respondents found out that 43 percent of the respondents expect their quality of lives to improve in the next 12 months while six percent expect it to get worse.
This translates to a net optimism of +36, which is considered by SWS as “very high.”
The latest net personal optimism is lower than the net +45 (48 percent “optimistic,” three percent “pessimistic”) last December 2016 but still classified as “very high.”
The SWS classified net optimism scores of at least +30 as “very high”; +20 to +29, “high”; +10 to +19 as “fair”; +1 to +9, “mediocre”; zero to -9 as “low”; and -10 and below as “very low.”
The SWS noted that the latest net optimism rating is the lowest since the +33 in September 2015. It said that net personal optimism had been at +40 and above for five consecutive quarters.
The SWS also found out in the survey that 47 percent of Filipinos expressed optimism that the Philippine economy will improve in the next 12 months while nine percent expected that it would deteriorate.
This is equivalent to +38 net optimism about the economy, which is lower than December 2016’s +43, but still “very high.”
SWS considers net economic optimism as follows, “very high” scores of at least +10; +1 to +9 as “high”; zero to -9 as “fair”; -10 to -19 as “mediocre”; -20 to -29 as “low”; and -30 and below as “very low.”
Thirty five percent of the respondents said their lives have improved 12 months ago, while 19 percent claimed it got worse, which translates to a net score of +16. This is unchanged from the previous survey. (Ellalyn V. Ruiz)