A hard hit landed in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, showing a steep rise in Filipinos who say their quality of life deteriorated over the past year. From 23% in June, the number jumped to 32% by the end of September โ the biggest surge since 2023 and enough to drag the countryโs โnet gainersโ score down to โ2, a sharp fall from +12 just three months prior.
Fewer Filipinos reported improvements in their lives, dropping from 35% to 32%, while those who said things stayed the same slid to 38%. The slump cut across demographics, with declines recorded across all age brackets, all education levels, and all major regions. Mindanao remained the most optimistic at +3, but even that was a major drop from +16. Metro Manila plunged the lowest to โ8, followed by Balance Luzon at โ4 and the Visayas at +1. The blow was also felt hardest by families who rated themselves poor or borderline poor, as self-rated โnot poorโ households posted stronger โ though still lower โ net scores.
With 1,500 respondents and a ยฑ3% margin of error, the survey paints a clear, nationwide picture: confidence is slipping, frustrations are rising, and households across the Philippines are feeling the pressure of a difficult year.
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