Survey: More Filipinos upbeat about economy

Filipino Victor San Miguel pats his dog named “Polgoso” as he takes a break after working the night shift at their tire repair shop in Manila, on Tuesday, July 21, 2015. More Filipinos are optimistic the economy will get better next year, even as fewer thought their lives improved in the past year, the latest Social Weather Stations survey showed. AP PHOTO/AARON FAVILA

More Filipinos are optimistic the economy will get better next year, even as fewer thought their lives improved in the past year, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

The Second Quarter Social Weather Report, conducted on June 5-8, also showed that the proportion of Filipinos optimistic about the expected change in their quality of life was unchanged from the last quarter.

Net optimism about the economy surged from +6 in March (27 percent optimistic, 20 percent pessimistic, rounded) to +15 in June (31 percent optimistic, 15 percent pessimistic).

Asked about changes in their quality of life in the last 12 months, the proportion of those who said their lives improved (gainers) slid 4 points to 28 percent (from 32 percent in March), while those who said their lives deteriorated (losers) was at 26 percent (unchanged from March), for a net gainers rating of +3 (down from +6 in March).

Personal optimism remained steady at +36 (42 percent optimistic, 6 percent pessimistic) in June, from +37 (42 percent optimistic, 5 percent pessimistic) in March.

Net economic optimism rose across classes: From -2 to +9 among class ABC; from +6 to +15 among class D; and from +9 to +21 among class E.

Across areas, while net optimism about the economy decreased by 7 points in Metro Manila, from +14 in March to +7 in June, it increased by 15 points in Luzon outside Metro Manila (from +2 to +17) and by 14 points in Mindanao (from +5 to +19). It was unchanged in the Visayas (from +13 to +14).

Net gainers by area declined in Metro Manila (from +8 to +2), and in Mindanao (from +7 to -5). It went from +9 to +8 in Luzon outside Metro Manila, while in the Visayas it was at -1 (from -2 in March).

Net gainers by class, on the other hand, likewise dropped by 8 points among class ABC (from +20 to +12) and by 16 points in class E (from +4 to -12), while it remained steady in class D (from +6 to +5).

Across areas, net personal optimism increased in Mindanao to +40 (from +35 in March). It was at +36 in Metro Manila (from +39), at +37 in Luzon outside Metro Manila (from +40), and at +29 in the Visayas (from +28).

Across classes, a significant increase was noted among class E, where it rose 11 points to +39 (from +28 in March). It slid among class ABC to +37 (from +41 in March), and among class D, where it was at +35 (from +38 in March).