Majority of Pinoys consider themselves poor – SWS survey

Majority of Filipinos considered themselves poor, according to the latest Social Weather Stations survey.

The survey results, which were first published in a national business newspaper, showed that 52 percent of respondents (estimated 10.4 million households) considered themselves poor, three percent higher than the 49 percent recorded in the June survey.

The survey also showed that the number of Filipinos who claimed to be “food-poor” increased to 41 percent (8.2 million families) from the 36 percent (7.2 million) recorded three months earlier.

It said that the results were consistent with findings on hunger last month—21.5 percent from 15.1 percent previously.

Poverty areas
The pollster said that significant increases in the number of those who think themselves as food-poor were noted in Balance Luzon (Luzon without Metro Manila).

It said that the self-rated poverty climbed by 15 points to 53 percent in Balance Luzon from 38 percent in June.
But the survey said that in Visayas, the self-rated poverty was down to 53 percent from 61 percent, in Mindanao, 57 percent from 62 percent, and Metro Manila, 39 percent from 43 percent.

The self-rated poverty score increased by nine points to 62 percent in rural areas and remained at 43 percent in towns and cities, it added.

Also, the self-rated food poverty in Balance Luzon increased to 45 percent—the highest since June 2006— from the record low of 28 percent three months earlier.

However, improvements on self-rated food poverty were again recorded in the Visayas (nine points to 39 percent), Metro Manila (three points to 25 percent) and Mindanao (one point to 44 percent).

The pollster said that poor families continued to lower their living standards, with self-rated poverty thresholds staying sluggish despite inflation.

In terms of hunger, it was at 28 percent higher than the 16 percent among the “not poor” and the 13.4 percent among families who consider themselves on the borderline.

The SWS said that among the self-rated food poor, hunger was at 31.1 percent, more than double the 14.8 percent rating recorded among the “not food poor” and the 14.7 percent among those on the borderline.

The survey said “moderate” and “severe” hunger apply to people experiencing having nothing to eat “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months and who have been experiencing hunger “often” or “always,” respectively.

The SWS’ latest survey, which was conducted from September 4 to 7, used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and had margins of error of plus or minus 3 percent for national percentages and plus or minus 6 percent for area percentages. –Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Manila Times