First Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey: Net satisfaction rating of the Duterte National Administration at “Very Good” +66
The First Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey, done on March 25-28, 2017, found 75% of adult Filipinos satisfied, 16% neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and 9% dissatisfied with the general performance of the current National Administration, for a net satisfaction rating of +66 (% satisfied minus % dissatisfied), classified by SWS as very good [Chart 1, Tables 1 to 3].
This is 5 points above the very good +61 (73% satisfied, 12% dissatisfied) in December 2016.
For comparison, the net satisfaction ratings obtained by past national administrations in their first three quarters were: Ramos administration, good +32 in September 1992, good +30 in December 1992, and moderate +24 in April 1993; Estrada administration, moderate +19 in September 1998, good +36 in November 1998, and good +34 in March 1999; Arroyo administration, moderate +27 in March 2001, moderate +12 in July 2001, and neutral +8 in September 2001; and Noynoy Aquino administration, very good +64 in September 2010, very good +64 in November 2010, and good +46 in March 2011.
The Social Weather Surveys became quarterly in 1992, so the first three quarters of the Cory Aquino administration were not surveyed. The Cory Aquino administration had an initial rating of a moderate +23 in February 1989.
The SWS terminology for net satisfaction ratings is as follows: +70 and above, “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”, +9 to –9, “neutral”; –10 to –29, “poor”; –30 to –49, “bad”; –50 to –69, “very bad”; –70 and below, “execrable.”
Very Good on 1, Good on 10, and Moderate on 4 subjects
Out of 15 specific performance subjects rated, the net satisfaction ratings of the Duterte administration were very good on 1 subject, good on 10 subjects, and moderate on 4 subjects. SWS calls this its Governance Report Card.
The net rating of the National Administration was very good on Helping the poor (+63) [Chart 2].
It was good on: Developing science and technology (+49), Fighting terrorism (+47), Defending the country’s territorial rights (+46), Foreign relations (+46), Providing jobs (+43), Fighting crimes (+41), Eradicating graft and corruption (+39), Solving the problem of extra judicial killings or EJK (+37), Reconciliation with Muslim rebels (+33), and Reconciliation with communist rebels (+32) [Charts 3 to 12].
It was moderate on: Ensuring that no family will ever be hungry (+22), Recovering the ”hidden wealth” stolen by Marcos and his cronies (+22), Resolving the traffic problem (+21), and Fighting inflation (+13) [Charts 13 to 15].
Duterte Administration’s net rating steady on 10 subjects, but down by one grade on 5 subjects
The March 2017 survey found the National Administration’s net rating steady on 10 specific subjects, but down by one grade in 5 specific subjects, compared to the last Governance Report Card.
The National Administration’s net rating stayed very good on Helping the poor, at +63, although down by 3 points from +66 in December 2016.
It fell by one grade from very good to good on four specific subjects.
The good +49 on Developing science and technology was one point below the very good +50 in December 2016.
The good +46 on Defending the country’s territorial rights was a downgrade from the very good +54 in December 2016.
The good +43 on Providing jobs was a downgrade from the very good +51 in December 2016.
The good +41 on Fighting crimes was a downgrade from the very good +50 in December 2016.
The National Administration’s net rating stayed good on six specific subjects.
The good +47 on Fighting terrorism was 6 points above the good +41 in December 2016.
The good +32 on Reconciliation with communist rebels was 2 points above the good +30 in December 2016.
The good +46 on Foreign relations was unchanged from December 2016.
The good +33 on Reconciliation with Muslim rebels was unchanged from December 2016.
The good +37 on Solving the problem of extra judicial killings or EJK was 3 points below the good +40 in December 2016.
The good +39 on Eradicating graft and corruption was 6 points below the good +45 in December 2016.
However, the moderate +22 on Ensuring that no family will ever be hungry was a downgrade from the good +34 in December 2016.
The National Administration’s net rating stayed moderate on two specific subjects.
The moderate +22 on Recovering the ”hidden wealth” stolen by Marcos and his cronies was 2 points below the moderate +24 in December 2016.
The moderate +13 on Fighting inflation was 12 points below the moderate +25 in December 2016.
The subject of Resolving the traffic problem was included for the first time in the March 2017 survey.
Excellent in Mindanao; Very good elsewhere
The Duterte Administration’s general net rating stayed excellent in Mindanao, and very good in Metro Manila, Visayas, and Balance Luzon.
The National Administration’s net rating was an excellent +79 in Mindanao, hardly moving from the excellent +78 last December [Chart 16, Table 4].
It was a very good +67 in the Visayas, 9 points above the very good +58 last December.
It was a very good +62 in Metro Manila, 9 points above the very good +53 last December.
It was a very good +60 in Balance Luzon, 4 points above the very good +56 last December.
Very Good in all classes
The National Administration’s net rating stayed very good in all classes.
It was a very good +69 in class E, 7 points above the very good +62 last December [Chart 17, Table 5].
It was a very good +61 in class ABC, 6 points above the very good +55 last December.
It was a very good +66 in class D or the masa, 5 points above the very good +61 last December.
Survey Background
The March 2017 Social Weather Survey was conducted from March 25-28, 2017 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide, 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for Balance Luzon, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao).
The area estimates were weighted by Philippine Statistics Authority medium-population projections for 2017 to obtain the national estimates.
The Social Weather Survey items on public satisfaction with the general performance of the National Administration, and its performance on specific subjects, are non-commissioned. These items were included on SWS’s own initiative and released as a public service, with first printing rights assigned to BusinessWorld.
The satisfaction rating of the general performance of the National Administration is based on a single question, and is not an average of answers to separate questions on specific subjects. The general rating is repeated every quarter, whereas only a core of the specific subject-ratings are repeated. Subjects are included or excluded depending on their contemporary salience.
SWS employs its own staff for questionnaire design, sampling, fieldwork, data-processing, and analysis, and does not outsource any of its survey operations.
[SWS terminology for Net Satisfaction Ratings: +70 and above, “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”, +9 to –9, “neutral”; –10 to –29, “poor”; –30 to –49, “bad”; –50 to –69, “very bad”; –70 and below, “execrable”]. A single-digit net satisfaction is considered not significantly different from zero.
SOURCE: SWS