Filipinos unhappy with government’s handling of inflation —survey
Most Filipinos are disappointed with how the government has handled inflation, according to the latest survey from Pulse Asia.
The study, conducted from March 6 to 10, 2024, showed majority disapproval of the government’s efforts to curb inflation, which remains the top urgent national concern.
Inflation quickened again in March to 3.7 percent, with the prices of the most commonly sold rice varieties increasing by more than 25 percent compared to a year ago.
Pulse Asia said the administration got a net approval rating of -66 in controlling inflation — that’s 71 percent who disapproved, 24 percent undecided, and only five percent who approved.
The same poll showed that inflation remains the top urgent national concern at 70 percent — essentially unchanged from 72 percent last December.
Inflation is the only national concern (out of 17 included in the survey) considered urgent by most adults in the country (70 percent), as well as across geographic areas and socioeconomic classes (67 percent to 77 percent and 69 percent to 73 percent, respectively).
The administration also obtained negative net approval ratings on four other fronts: Reducing the poverty of many Filipinos at -23, fighting graft and corruption at -21, addressing the problem of involuntary hunger at -3, and increasing the pay of workers at -5.
The administration fared the best in protecting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers at +61, responding to the needs of areas affected by calamities at +57, promoting peace in the country at +35, stopping the destruction and abuse of the environment at +32, defending the integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners at +32, fighting criminality at +28, enforcing the law on all whether influential or ordinary people at +24, providing assistance to farmers including selling their products at +19, and creating more jobs at +15.
Pulse Asia pointed out that the administration got only two majority approval ratings in March 2024.
“Big pluralities of Filipino adults cannot say if they approve or disapprove of the incumbent administration’s initiatives to help farmers (44 percent) and addressing the problem of involuntary hunger (40 percent). Meanwhile, on the issue of controlling inflation, the national issue Filipino adults are most concerned about (70 percent), the national administration obtains its only majority disapproval score (71 percent),” Pulse Asia said.
The only marked movements in terms of disapproval occur in connection with the administration’s work in the areas of enforcing the rule of law (+6 percentage points), addressing the problem of involuntary hunger (+7 percentage points), and fighting corruption in government (+8 percentage points).
Pulse Asia earlier showed that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s trust and approval ratings slipped 13 points from 68 in December 2023 to 55 in March 2024.
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