3.6M families went hungry in Q2 – SWS

There were fewer hungry families in the second quarter of 2014, with about 300,000 fewer families going hungry compared to the first quarter, according to a survey by pollster Social Weather Stations.

According to the SWS poll, 16.3 percent of respondents, or about 3.6 million families, experienced going hungry in the last three months. In March, 17.8 percent, or about 3.9 million families, said they had gone hungry.

Also, the second quarter hunger figures were lower than the 19.5 percent annual average in 2013.

“The 1.5-point fall in hunger… between March and June 2014 was due to falling hunger among the poor, food poor and non-food poor, combined with rising hunger among the non-poor,” the SWS said.

The SWS poll was posted in the Business World website. It was taken from June 27 to 30, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide. Sampling error margins of ±3% nationally, and ±6% for area percentages, apply to the poll.

Overall, moderate, severe hunger

Moderate hunger or having nothing to eat “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months fell to 13.5 percent, around 3.3 million households, lower by 1.5 points compared to March.

Severe hunger, or having gone without food “often” or “always,” remained at 2.8 percent.

Overall hunger dropped 6.4 points to 21.1 percent among the self-rated poor, but went up by 3.2 points to 10.3 percent among the not poor/on the borderline.

Hunger among the food-poor fell by 3.8 points to 27 percent and by 0.8 point to 9.6 percent among the not food poor/food borderline.

“At any point in time, hunger among the self-rated food poor is always greater than hunger among the self-rated poor,” SWS said.

Regionally

In Metro Manila, overall hunger rose by 3.3 points to 16.3 percent, or about 456,000 families. Moderate hunger similarly rose to 12.3 percent, while severe hunger stayed at 3 percent.

In Balance Luzon, overall hunger fell 5.3 points to 14.7 percent or 1.4 million families. Moderate hunger fell 5.3 points to 11.7 percent, while severe hunger remained at 3 percent.

Hunger in the Visayas dropped two points to 14.7 percent or 617,000 families, while moderate hunger fell by 0.7 to 12 percent. Severe hunger declined by 1.3 points to 2.7 percent.

But in Mindanao, hunger went up by 3.3 points to 21.3 percent, or 1.1 million families, while moderate hunger went up 2.3 points to 19 percent, and severe hunger by one point to 2.3 percent. — Joel Locsin/DVM, GMA News