Duterte sustains excellent trust for 4 quarters: SWS

NEITHER HIS provocative style of rhetoric nor the mounting body count in his government’s drug war has dented the public’s trust in President Rodrigo R. Duterte, whose net rating has steadied in “excellent” territory for four consecutive quarters, according to the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The First Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey showed 80% of adult Filipinos with “much trust” in Mr. Duterte while 11% were undecided and 10% had little trust in him — yielding a net trust rating of +70 (% much trust minus % little trust), classified by SWS as “excellent.”

The latest survey result is steady from the “excellent” +72 (81% much trust, 9% little trust) logged last December, although two points down, and has been consistent for four consecutive quarters since rising from the “moderate” +26 (54% much trust, 28% little trust) before the May 9 general elections, SWS said.

The polling group interviewed face-to-face 1,200 adults nationwide from March 25 to 28 for this survey. The latest poll has sampling error margins of ±3 points for quarterly national percentages and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The SWS classifies net trust ratings of at least +70 as “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,” and -70 and below as “execrable.”

The President’s net trust score began to stay in “excellent” territory just days before his inauguration on June 30, at +79, SWS said, adding that public satisfaction with Mr. Duterte’s performance in the first quarter was higher among those with much trust in him.

It was an excellent +75 (83% satisfied, 8% dissatisfied) among those with much trust in him, compared with good +36 (53% satisfied, 18% dissatisfied, correctly rounded) among those who were undecided, and neutral -9 (35% satisfied, 44% dissatisfied) among those with little trust in him.

SPIKE IN METRO MANILA

SWS attributed the steady “excellent” net trust rating of Mr. Duterte to sharp increases in Metro Manila and his home region of Mindanao that cushioned significant declines in Balance Luzon and Visayas.

It was in Metro Manila, in particular, where trust in Mr. Duterte rose by one grade to an “excellent” + 74 ( 82% much trust, 9% little trust, correctly rounded), nine points up from the “very good” +65 (76% much trust, 11% little trust) recorded in the previous quarter.

Meanwhile, trust in Mr. Duterte has remained “excellent” at +89 (92% much trust, 3% little trust) in Mindanao, four points higher than the +85 (90% much trust, 5% little trust) registered in the December poll.