Trust in President still high

Most Pinoys approve of his performance

MAJORITY of Filipinos still trust President Benigno Aquino 3rd and approve of his job performance, the latest Pulse Asia survey revealed on Monday.

The poll, which was conducted from February 24 to March 6, showed that 75 percent of respondents continue to trust President Aquino, while 74 percent appreciated and gave high marks to his leadership in the last three months.

It also showed that despite problems facing the nation since Mr. Aquino took office in June 2010, there have been no considerable changes in his trust and performance ratings.

“No significant changes in the performance and trust ratings of President Aquino [occurred] between October 2010 and March 2011—at the national level and in all geographic areas and socio-economic groupings,” the poll agency noted.

The survey showed too that the President’s approval rating ranged from 66 percent in Metro Manila to 83 percent in the Visayas across geographic areas and from 69 percent in Class ABC to 80 percent in Class E across socio-economic classes.

Mr. Aquino, however, recorded single-digit disapproval ratings at the national level with 7 percent; in the different geographic areas, 4 percent to 9 percent; and among socio-economic groupings, 5 percent to 8 percent.

Almost one in five respondents, or 18 percent, remain undecided about his performance.

Pulse Asia said that across geographic areas, this indecision was most notable in Metro Manila (26 percent) and the least in the Visayas (13 percent).

Fifteen percent of those polled in Mindanao, meanwhile, feel ambivalent about the President’s work.

It added that levels of public ambivalence across socio-economic classes differ from Class ABC, with 26 percent, to Class E, with 14 percent.

The poll revealed that 75 percent of Filipinos still trust Mr. Aquino.

“Majority trust ratings are enjoyed by the President in all geographic areas [69 percent to 84 percent] and socio-economic classes [71 percent to 78 percent],” it said.

In contrast, fewer than one in 10 Filipinos, or 6 percent, does not trust the President.

Moreover, Pulse Asia said that the current administration scored majority approval ratings on only three out of 11 national issues.

These are fighting graft and corruption, 56 percent; fighting criminality, 54 percent; and improving the national peace-and-order situation, 53 percent.

Pulse Asia said that public approval of the government’s work on five other matters is relatively high: enforcing the law equally on all Filipinos, 49 percent; protecting the environment, 48 percent; creating more jobs, 48 percent; increasing the pay of workers, 48 percent; and reducing poverty, 41 percent.

About the same approval and indecision ratings are obtained by the administration on two issues: expanding the source of government funds, 44 percent versus 41 percent; and controlling population growth, 42 percent versus 37 percent;

The results said that public opinion is split regarding the government’s efforts to control inflation—an issue in which 53 percent of Filipinos said that it must immediately address—with 37 percent expressing appreciation, 32 percent being critical and 31 percent being ambivalent.

The survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and had a plus-minus 6-percent error margin.

The poll agency said that its “pool of academic fellows takes full responsibility for the design and conduct of the survey, as well as for [the] analyses it makes based on the survey data.”

It added that in “keeping with our academic nature, no religious, political, economic or partisan group influenced any of these processes” and that it “undertakes Ulat ng Bayan surveys on its own without any party singularly commissioning the research effort.” –Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Reporter, Manila Times