Most Filipinos worry about workers’ pay, inflation – Pulse Asia

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Most Filipinos worry about workers’ pay, inflation – Pulse Asia
While urgent concerns are mostly economic in nature, levels of concern about fighting corruption and enforcing the rule of law drop between December 2017 and March 2018

MANILA, Philippines – Rising inflation and increasing workers’ pay top the concerns of most Filipinos, according to Pulse Asia’s March 2018 Ulat ng Bayan Survey.

Among the highlights of the latest survey on urgent national concerns and national administration performance ratings on selected issues are:

  • Filipinos’ urgent concerns are economic in nature – workers’ pay, inflation, poverty, and jobs.
  • Public concern about the need to increase workers’ pay and protect the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) becomes more pronounced between December 2017 and March 2018, while levels of concern about fighting corruption and enforcing the rule of law drop during the same period.
  • The Duterte administration enjoys majority approval ratings on 11 of 12 selected national issues; Filipinos’ assessment of the administration’s work remains essentially constant between December 2017 and March 2018.

Concern about workers’ pay is most pronounced in Class D (54%), followed by the poorest Class E (41%). Among geographic areas, respondents in the Balance of Luzon (56%) and the Visayas (50%) were most vocal about the issue.

Among socioeconomic classes, concern about controlling inflation was strongest among the well-off or ABC classes (55%).

Nationwide, a second set of urgent national concerns included poverty reduction (35%) and job creation (32%). A 3rd set of concerns included fighting criminality (27%), fighting graft and corruption in government (22%), and promoting peace (22%). See Table 1 for the rest of the urgent concerns.

At the time of the survey, population growth, national territorial defense, terrorism, and charter change were the least of Filipinos’ concerns.

Overall, the top first-ranked urgent national concerns centered on workers’ pay, followed by inflation, and poverty reduction (see Table 2).

From December 2017 to March 2018, concern over economic issues took the front seat, even as concern over fighting corruption in government and enforcing the rule of law decreased, both at -9 percentage points (see Table 3).

Overall, Filipinos appreciate the most the Duterte administration’s efforts to respond to calamity-stricken areas (86%), OFW welfare protection (84%), and fighting crime (81%).

They are also happy with efforts to promote peace (71%), enforcing the rule of law (71%), environmental protection (71%), fighting corruption (70%), increasing workers’ pay (68%), creating more jobs (67%), defending national territorial integrity (67%), and poverty reduction (53%).

Disapproval is highest in efforts to control inflation (33%).

Among the burning issues at this time relating to economics was the increase in the headline inflation rate by 3.9% between January and February 2018 – said to be the fastest increase since August 2014; increase in the power rates of the Manila Electric Company; the increase in oil prices; and the 5.85% decline in the Philippine Stock Exchange index for March.

The survey was conducted from March 23 to 28 using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents. It has a +/-3% error margin at the 95% confidence level. – Rappler.com

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