Q1 SWS survey shows optimism still excellent
NET PERSONAL Optimism, Net Optimism about the Economy, and Net Gainers in Personal Quality of Life yielded “excellent” scores, despite declines from December 2017, according to the First Quarter 2018 Social Weather Survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The noncommissioned survey, conducted March 2327, found 46% of adults expecting their personal quality of life to improve in the next 12 months (“optimists”) and 6% expecting it to get worse (“pessimists”), for a Net Personal Optimism score of +40 (% Optimists minus % Pessimists), classified by SWS as “excellent.”
This is 6 points below the record-high excellent +46 (49% Optimists, 3% Pessimists) in December 2017, but similar to the excellent +40 in June 2017, SWS said, adding that Net Personal Optimism has been excellent (+40 and above) since December 2015, except in March 2017 when it was a very high +36.
The March 2018 survey also found 42% optimistic that the general Philippine economy next year would “improve” and 12% feeling it would “deteriorate,” for a Net Optimism about the Economy score of +31 (% Optimistic about the Economy minus % Pessimistic about the Economy, correctly rounded), classified also as excellent.
Still, this is 11 points below the excellent +42 (52% Optimistic about the Economy, 9% Pessimistic about the Economy, correctly rounded) in December 2017. Otherwise, Net Optimism about the Economy has been excellent (+20 and above) since December 2015, reaching as high as +56 in June 2016.
On the change in Personal Quality of Life compared to twelve months ago, The survey also found that 41% said their lives improved (“gainers”) and 21% said they worsened (“losers”), for a Net Gainers score, in terms of Personal Quality of Life, of +20 (the difference of Gainers over Losers), classified as excellent. But this is 3 points below the record-high excellent +23 (41% Gainers, 18% Losers) in December 2017. It was very high (+10 to +19) from September 2016 to September 2017.
The 6-point decline in Net Personal Optimism nationwide was due to declines in Metro Manila (down 12 points to +37 and one grade to “very high”), Balance Luzon (down 5 points to +40), and the Visayas (down 8 points to +31), combined with a steady score of excellent +50 in Mindanao, from December 2017 to March 2018, SWS noted.
Net Personal Optimism stayed excellent in class ABC, although down 17 points from +59 in December 2017 to +42 in March 2018.