Self-rated poverty hits record low

By Janvic Mateo (The Philippine Star), October 14, 2016

The self-rated poverty in the country has dropped to a record low – 42 percent of families or about 9.2 million adult Filipinos – according to the latest survey released by Social Weather Stations (SWS). File photo
MANILA, Philippines – The self-rated poverty in the country has dropped to a record low – 42 percent of families or about 9.2 million adult Filipinos – according to the latest survey released by Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The survey, conducted from Sept. 24 to 27 and published in BusinessWorld yesterday, showed that 42 percent of 1,200 respondents have identified their families as poor, down three points from a similar survey conducted in June.

The latest figure is a point lower than the previous record low of 43 percent obtained in March 1987 and March 2010.

The SWS said the self-rated poverty in the country has either been steady or declining in the past two years: from 55 percent in June and September 2014 to 52 percent in December 2014 of the same year, 51 percent in March and June 2015 and 50 percent in September and December 2015.

It further went down to 46 percent and 45 percent in the surveys conducted in April and June this year.

Based on the latest survey result, the number of those who rated themselves as poor decreased in balance Luzon (41 percent in June to 34 percent in September) and Mindanao (54 percent to 49 percent).

However, it increased by four points each in Metro Manila (32 percent to 34 percent) and the Visayas (52 percent to 54 percent).

Meanwhile, the number of Filipinos who said that their families are “food-poor” – or those who rated themselves as poor based on the food that they eat – also reached an all-time low of 30 percent.

It was a point lower than the previous all-time low of 31 percent recorded in March 2010, and April and June 2016.

The survey, conducted on 1,200 Filipino household heads, had an error margin of plus/minus three percent for the national percentages.