Personal, economic optimisms of Pinoys ‘very high’ – SWS

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd’s undiminished popularity and the people’s continuing confidence in him as their leader apparently account for the “very high” Net Personal Optimism score recorded in the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (sws). The SWS conducted its Third Quarter 2010 Social Weather Survey on September 24 to 27.

It found that 38 percent of Filipino adults expect their personal quality of life to improve in the next 12 months (these are labeled “Optimists” by SWS) while only 6 percent expect it to get worse (these are SWS’ “Pessimists”).

The rest of the population, or 66 percent either responded that they did not expect either improvement or deterioration or did not know.

But the 38 percent of Filipino optimists were enough to merit SWS’ “very high” rating which is close to the “record high” 36-percent Net Personal Optimism rating established in the previous quarter’s survey.

Net Personal Optimism scores ranging from +30 are termed “very high” and scores of +20 to +29 are “high” because these scores are higher than what is normally expected, which are scores ranging from +10 to +19 and are termed “fair.”

In the Net Personal Optimism surveys of the past five quarters beginning September 2009, the result has been more than +20.

This means Net Personal Optimism has been high even during the final months of the administration of President Gloria Arroyo.

But in the second quarter of 2010—when the survey was conducted after the May elections and it was known that Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino was going to be the next president—and in the third quarter, after President Aquino took office, the scores went up to “very high.”

On the Philippine economy, 39 percent of the population were optimistic that it would get better and only 9 percent were pessimistic. This means 59 percent thought things would remain the same or did not know what would happen in the future.

Surveys prior to June 2010 always yielded a Net Economic Optimism score of double-digit negatives in 30 out of 46 quarterly surveys cine 1998.

The survey also sought scores for “change in Personal Quality of Life” between now (time of the survey in September) and 12 months ago. The “Losers” (those who said their lives had worsened made up 27 percent of the respondents. A slightly smaller group of 25 percent made up the “Gainers” group who said their lives had got better. –JOVEE MARIE N. DELA CRUZ REPORTER, Manila Times