Rody trust rating slips, still ‘excellent’

By Janvic Mateo With Alexis Romero, The Philippine Star, Dec. 23, 2016

MANILA, Philippines – President Duterte’s trust rating is declining in most areas but it is still “excellent,” the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey shows.

Duterte’s net trust rating remained in the excellent threshold, obtaining a +72 in the results of the Dec. 3 to 6 SWS survey published in BusinessWorld yesterday.

But his trust rating is on a downward trend. It decreased by four points from the +76 that he obtained in September, and was seven points lower than the +79 that he obtained in the survey conducted a few days before he assumed office on June 30.

Based on the latest survey, 81 percent of 1,500 adult respondents said they have much trust in the President, down from 84 percent in June and 83 percent in September.

Nine percent of the respondents said they have little trust in him, higher than the five percent in June and eight percent in September.

The remaining 10 percent of the respondents said they were undecided.

The net trust rating is the rounded off difference between those who said they have much trust in the President and those who said they have little trust.

SWS classifies net trust ratings of at least +70 as “excellent”; +50 to +69 as “very “good”; +30 to +49 as “good”; +10 to +29 as “moderate”; +9 to -9 as “neutral”; -10 to -29 as “poor”; -30 to -49 as “bad”; -50 to -69 as “very bad”; and -70 and below as “execrable.”

The net trust rating, which gauges public trust in a personality as a whole, is different from the satisfaction rating that measures public satisfaction with an individual’s performance related to his or her position or duty.

From excellent to very good

The latest survey also shows a decline in the net trust rating of the President in most areas, including a downgrade from “excellent” to “very good” in his scores in Metro Manila and the Visayas.

Compared with the survey results in September, Duterte’s net trust rating in Metro Manila suffered a nine-point decline from +76 (83 percent much trust, seven percent little trust) to +65 (76 percent much trust, 11 percent little trust).

It also declined in the Visayas, from +73 (82 percent much trust, 10 percent little trust) to +69 (78 percent much trust, nine percent little trust); and Mindanao, from +92 (94 percent much trust, two percent little trust) to +85 (90 percent much trust, five percent little trust).

It remained at +69 (79 percent much trust, 10 percent little trust) in balance Luzon.

The net trust ratings of the President also declined among those in urban and rural areas, from +75 to +73 and +77 to +71, respectively.

In terms of socio-economic classes, Duterte suffered another double-digit drop among respondents belonging to Class ABC, from +72 in September to +59 in December.

He obtained +82 from that socio-economic class in June.

The President’s net trust ratings also declined among respondents from Class D (+78 in September to +73 in June), but increased among those who identified themselves as belonging to Class E (+67 to +72).

His net trust ratings also declined among men (+77 to +75) and women (+74 to +69).

By age, his net trust ratings declined in all age groups except among those between 35 to 44 years old, which increased by four points from +76 in September to +80 in December.

Duterte’s net trust ratings fell in other brackets: 18 to 24 years old (+82 to +77), 25 to 34 years old (+83 to +79), 45 to 54 (+69 to +65), and 55 and above (+73 to +63).

By education, his net trust ratings increased among elementary graduates (+66 to +68), but fell among college graduates (+84 to +78), high school graduates (+82 to +76) and those who did not finish elementary (+66 to +64).

The non-commissioned survey was conducted via face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adult respondents. It has a sampling error margin of +/-3 points for national percentages.

Palace still welcomes result

Despite the declining trust rating of Duterte, Malacañang welcomed the survey result and thanked the public for trusting the President.

“The result of the SWS survey was a testament that our people continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the President’s agenda of ridding the society of illegal drugs, crime and corruption,” Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement.

“This gives him and members of his team to pursue with greater resolve the administration’s goal of a Philippines free from the drug scourge, crime incidents and malfeasance in public service,” he added. –