FOUR out of 10 Filipinos remain optimistic the Philippine economy will improve in the next 12 months, the first quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) done from April 19 to 27 showed.
The survey, which involved 1,440 adult respondents nationwide with a ±2.6 percent margin of error, found that 46 percent of Filipinos felt the economy will improve (economic optimists), 28 percent said it will stay the same (neutral), and 6 percent said it will worsen (economic pessimists) in the next 12 months.
This resulted in a net economic optimism score of +40 (percent of economic optimists minus percent of economic pessimists), which has been classified by SWS as excellent. It is also 4 points below the excellent +44 in December 2021.
SWS classifications net economic optimism scores of +40 and above as “excellent;” between +30 and +39 as “very high;” between +20 and +29 as “high;” between +10 and +19 as “fair;” between —9 and +9 as “mediocre;” between —19 and —10 as “low;” between —29 and —20 as “very low;” between —30 and —39 as “extremely low;” and —40 and below as “execrable.”
SWS also considers a movement from one classification to another as either an upgrade or downgrade.
The polling form said net economic optimism was highest in Luzon at +46 (down from +52), followed by Metro Manila and Mindanao with +46 each (down from +47 and +46, respectively), and the Visayas with +18 (down from +19).
Net economic optimism was also highest among the high school graduates and those who had attended some college with +43 (down from +345), followed by those who either had no formal education or some elementary education but had not graduated with +39 (up from +29), elementary graduates or had some high school education with +37 (down from +45), and college graduates or those with post-graduate studies with +34 (down from +50).
SWS also found that net economic optimism was highest among the “optimists” or people who felt that the quality of their lives will improve in the next 12 months are with +63 than among those who said their lives will be the same or will not change (+31) and the pessimists or said their lives will worsen (-35).
It was also highest among the gainers or those who said their lives improved in the last 12 months improved with +51 than among those who aid their lives were unchanged (+33) and losers or their lives worsened in the last 12 months (+37).
