9 of 10 Pinoys will vote according to their conscience – SWS

MANILA, Philippines – Nearly nine in 10 Filipinos say they will vote according to their conscience and are unlikely to be swayed by endorsements or political machinery, a latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The SWS Pre-Election Survey, conducted from April 16 to 19, found that 86 percent of registered voters will vote according to social interest rather than self-interest.

A majority or 86 percent chose to say that “I will vote for a candidate if most will benefit from him/her, even if I myself will not,” and only 14 percent chose to say that “I will vote for a candidate if I will benefit personally from him/her, even if most will not.”

The latest percentage of social-interest answers is higher compared to 79 percent in April 2007, the SWS said.

The survey also found that majorities will decide for themselves rather than be told who to vote for, believe popular support rather than political machinery wins the election for a candidate, and will follow their consciences rather than bandwagons.

In the question comparing independent-minded voting over command voting, 84 percent say “most people here decide for themselves whom to vote for,” and only 16 percent chose to say that “many people here are just told by the leaders who to vote for.”

The new proportion of voters believing that people would vote independently is similar to 81-85 percent in the pre-election surveys of 2001 and 2004.

It is higher than 79-80 percent in the pre-election surveys of 2007, but not as high as 89 percent in the pre-election survey of 1998.

In a choice between the statements, “A candidate wins due to true popular support, with or without political machinery,” and “The political machinery of a candidate wins the election for him/her,” 78 percent chose popular support and 21 percent chose political machinery.

The latest percentage of popular-support answers is higher than 63-66 percent in the SWS pre-election surveys of 2004 and 2007, but not as high as 85 percent in the pre-election survey of 1992.

The survey showed 77 percent say they will vote according to what their consciences say while 23 percent chose the bandwagon vote by saying “vote for the one you think will win.”

The conscience-vote answers have ranged between 77 percent and 87 percent in 10 SWS national pre-election surveys from 1992 to the present, the pollster said.

The April 2010 survey found that while most voters across all major study areas believe in social interest, independent-minded voting, popular support, and conscience-voting, the proportion of those who believe in self-interest voting, command voting, and political machinery tend to rise the farther away from the capital, the SWS said.

Voting to benefit self-interest over social interest is 20 percent in Mindanao and 15 percent in the Visayas, slightly higher compared to 11 percent in balance Luzon and eight percent in Metro Manila.

Command votes tend to be more visible in areas farther away from the capital, the SWS said.

It is 22 percent in Mindanao, compared to 17 percent in the Visayas, 14 percent in balance Luzon, and 12 percent in Metro Manila.

Belief in political machinery over popular support is 28 percent in the Visayas and 22 percent in Mindanao, slightly higher compared to 19 percent in Metro Manila and 18 percent in balance Luzon.

Only the visibility of bandwagon voting does not have a clear pattern across areas: it is 25 percent in balance Luzon, 23 percent in Mindanao, 21 percent in Metro Manila, and 20 percent in the Visayas.

Most voters value social interest, conscience voting

Regardless of class, most voters value social interest, independent-minded voting, popular support, and conscience-voting, the SWS said.

Opinions tend to vary across classes only on self-interest over social interest: those who will vote according to self-interest over social interest is 18 percent in class E, slightly higher compared to 13 percent in class D or the “masa,” and nine percent in class ABC.

The survey used face-to-face interviews of 2,400 registered voters, divided into random samples of 300 in Metro Manila, 900 in balance Luzon, and 600 each in Visayas and Mindanao.

It has sampling error margins of plus or minus two percentage points for national percentages, plus or minus six percentage points for Metro Manila, plus or minus three percentage points for balance Luzon, and plus or minus four percentage points for Visayas and Mindanao. –Helen Flores (The Philippine Star)