SWS April poll: 46% of Filipinos optimistic economy will improve in a year

MORE than 40% of adult Filipinos expect the Philippine economy to recover in the next 12 months, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll conducted in April.

Citing its survey from April 19 to 27, SWS said 46% of adult Filipinos were optimistic that the country’s economy will improve, which is four points below the result in December 2021.

The local pollster said 28% believed that the Philippine economy will stay the same, while 6% said it will worsen.

The resulting Net Economic Optimism score is +40, a score classified by SWS as excellent.

SWS said the economic optimism score used to be “mediocre” -9 in July 2020 and mediocre -5 in September 2020. It  was a “high” +24 in November 2020, it added.

The survey, in which 1,440 adults were interviewed, was conducted before the Philippines held a presidential election on May 9.

Optimism was highest in Luzon excluding the capital region Metro Manila at +46, followed by Metro Manila at +43, Mindanao in the south at +43, and the Visayas in central Philippines at +18.

“The 4-point decline in the national Net Economic Optimism score from December 2021 to April 2022 is due to slight decreases in all areas except in the Visayas,” it said.

The SWS concluded that the results of the economic optimism survey was directly tied to its April 2022 personal optimism poll, which found that 44% of adult Filipinos believed their quality of life will improve.

“Net economic optimism is higher among personal optimists (+63) than among those who said ‘no change’ (+31) and among personal pessimists (-35).”

SWS said the economic optimism score was highest among adults who belong to families who consider themselves as not poor at +54, “compared to +39 among those who belong to families who consider themselves as borderline poor and +32 among those who belong to families who consider themselves as poor.” — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza