1 of 4 won’t vote for corrupt bets – poll
One out of four Filipino voters will support a presidential candidate who is not corrupt and has an untarnished reputation and character, according to the latest survey conducted by Pulse Asia.
The survey, held on Jan. 24 to 28, showed that 28 percent of the 1,800 respondents would vote for a particular candidate based on his or her reputation of not being corrupt.
Only a small percentage of the respondents (0.4 percent) said they would vote for a candidate who is nationalistic or who has not left the country.
“For a little over one in every
four Filipinos ( 28 percent), the most important reason why they are supporting a particular presidential candidate is because of said candidate’s having an untarnished reputation or a reputation for not being corrupt,” said the pollster.
The opinion was shared by a small to sizeable pluralities in all geographic locations and Class D and E, according to the survey firm.
The respondents were asked to choose from a list of considerations that they may have in voting for president.
Next to having an untarnished reputation, 14 percent of voters said they would vote for a candidate who has a clear program or platform of action.
Twelve percent said they would choose one who has extensive experience in governance, while nine percent would vote for a candidate who is knowledgeable in management of government.
Other considerations include being religious (six percent), helpful (six percent), pro-poor (five percent), approachable ( four percent), courageous (three percent), intelligent (three percent), industrious (two percent), winnable (two percent) and endorsed by a respected person (two percent).
Only one percent of the respondents said they would vote based on party affiliation, non-violence and non-involvement in a political dynasty.
The survey has a plus or minus two margin of error at 95 percent confidence level.
Low wage, drug abuse
In the same survey, respondents said that the low salary of workers and the continuing proliferation of illegal drugs are the most urgent national concerns that voters want the next president to address immediately upon assuming office.
Thirty- eight percent of respondents said they want the next president to immediately increase the salary of workers nationwide.
On the other hand, 36 percent said they want the next chief executive to curb the widespread sale and use of illegal drugs.
The respondents were asked to select three national concerns that they think should be immediately addressed by the presidential candidate who would win the upcoming elections.
Following low wages and illegal drugs are inflation and graft and corruption, which were both identified by 30 percent of the respondents as among their urgent national concerns.
Twenty-nine percent want the next president to immediately address poverty, while 26 percent want creation of more jobs.
Other concerns include fighting criminality ( 24 percent), enforcement of the law ( 20 percent), increasing peace ( 12 percent), curbing illegal gambling ( 11 percent) and stopping the abuse of the environment ( 10 percent).
The issues that were least selected were defending Philippine territory ( eight percent), preparedness for disasters ( eight percent), protecting overseas Filipino workers ( seven percent), speed in disaster response (six percent) and preparation for threats of terrorism (four percent).