More Filipinos experienced hunger in third quarter of year: survey

The number of Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger increased in the third quarter of 2018, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The poll from September 15 to 23 among 1,500 Filipino adults nationwide found that 13.3% or around 3.1mn families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months, up by 3.9% points from the 9.4% or around 2.2mn families in June 2018.

The pollster noted that the September reading was the highest since the 15.9% in December 2017.

The 13.3% quarterly hunger was composed of 10.6% (around 2.5mn families) who experienced “moderate hunger” and 2.8% (about 643,000 families) who experienced “severe hunger.”

Moderate hunger refers to those who experienced it “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months, while severe hunger pertains to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the last three months.

The few who did not state their frequency of hunger were classified under moderate hunger, the pollster said.

SWS said moderate hunger fell by 2.5 points, from 8.1% in June to 10.6% in September.

This was the highest since the 12.2% in December 2017.

Severe hunger increased by 1.5 points, from 1.3% in June to 2.8% in September.

This was the highest since the 3.7% in December 2017.

Hunger rose by 4.3 points in Metro Manila, from 13.0% (412,000 families) in June 2018 to 17.3% in September 2018.

It also increased by 5.4 points in Balance Luzon, from 7.3% (758,000 families) in June to 12.7% in September.

Quarterly hunger, meanwhile, fell by 3.3 points in the Visayas, from 9.3% (419,000 families) in June to 6.0% in September.

It, however, rose by 7.0 points in Mindanao, from 11.3% (604,000 families) in June to 18.3% in September.

SWS noted that the 3.9-point increase in the quarterly hunger was due to “increases in the incidence of hunger among the selfrated poor and the self-rated non-poor.”

From June to September, quarterly hunger rose by 5.9 points among the self-rated poor, from 12.6% in June to 18.5% in September.This has been the highest since December 2017.

It also increased by 1.1 points among the non-poor (Not Poor plus Borderline) over the same period, going from 6.5% to 7.6%. This was the highest since December 2017.

Hunger also increased among the self-rated food poor, rising by 7.5 points from 14.8% in June to 22.3% in September.

It also increased by 1.5 points among the Not Food-Poor/ Food-Borderline, from 6.7% to 8.2%.

“At any one point in time, quarterly hunger among the self-rated food-Poor is always greater than Hunger among the self-rated poor,” SWS said.

The third quarter poll, conducted using face-to-face interviews, had sampling error margins of + or – 3% for national percentages, + or – 4% for Balance Luzon, and + or – 6% each for Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.