3 in 10 Pinoys expect lives to improve

MANILA, Philippines – Three of every 10 registered voters expect their lives to improve in the next 12 months, results of a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The SWS March 2010 Pre-Election Survey, conducted from March 19 to 22, showed that 35 percent of the more than 50 million registered voters were optimistic of the future, while nine percent see a bleaker scenario in the next 12 months.

This translates to a Net Personal Optimism score of +26, or the difference between 35 percent and nine percent.

The SWS said the latest Net Personal Optimism score is higher than the +21 in December and +24 in September 2009.

Net Personal Optimism scores of +20 to +29 are considered “high.”

Asked to look back at the last 12 months, 19 percent of respondents said their lives had improved while 38 percent said it had worsened, for a net gainers-losers score of -19, hardly changing from -22 in December 2009.

“Since 2006, the ‘net gainers-losers’ has been at low to very low levels in 13 out of 19 SWS surveys. In more than 80 national surveys from 1984 to the present, gainers have exceeded losers only twice – in May 1986 by two points, and in March 1987 by 11 points,” the SWS said.

SWS said Net Personal Optimism has been in a generally upward trend over the past two years.

Compared to December 2009, Net Personal Optimism rose by 11 points in Metro Manila, from +25 to +36, by seven points in Mindanao, from +14 to +21, and by five points in the rest of Luzon, from +23 to +28.

It hardly changed in the Visayas, from +21 in the previous quarter to the present +22.

By class, Net Personal Optimism rose by seven points in class E, from +19 in December 2009 to +26 in March 2010, by six points in class ABC, from +26 to +32, and by 5 points in class D or from +21 to +26.

Compared to the previous quarter, SWS said net gainers-losers dropped by nine points in balance Luzon, from -20 to -11.

It hardly changed in the Visayas, from -25 to -23, and in Metro Manila, from -25 to -24.

It worsened by six points in Mindanao, from -21 in December 2009 to-27 in March 2010.

Net gainers-losers improved by eight points in class ABC, from -16 to -8, and by five points in class D, from -20 to -15.

It barely changed in class E, from -26 in the previous quarter to -28 at present.

The survey used face-to-face interviews with 2,100 registered voters, divided into random samples of 300 in Metro Manila and 600 each in balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. –Helen Flores (The Philippine Star)