OCTA: 59% satisfied with gov’t

OCTA: 59% satisfied with gov’t

THE SATISFACTION rating of the Marcos administration increased by three percentage points to 59% in December last year, according to an OCTA Research survey.

The pollster’s survey of 1,200 adults from Dec. 10 to 14 showed it was an increase from the 56% rating logged in October, when headline inflation slowed to 4.9% from 6.1% a month earlier but still exceeded the central bank’s 2%-4% target.

“This three-percentage point increase is the first time a rise in performance rating of the current administration has been observed since October 2022,” it added.

In the poll, 14% of adult Filipinos said they were dissatisfied with the Marcos governance while 24% said they were ambivalent.

The performance rating of the current administration ranges from 53% to 71% in major areas, with the highest in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Visayas, both at 71%. The lowest was in Balance Luzon at 53%.

In December, inflation declined to 3.9% from 4.1% in November but the full-year average for 2023 hit 6.0%.

Inflation remains a key risk to the Philippines’ economic growth, and previous surveys showed that most Filipinos view it as a top concern. Headline inflation hit a 14-year high of 8.7% year on year in the first month of 2023.

A separate OCTA report released last month that was based on its Dec. 10-14 surveys showed that self-rated or involuntary hunger among Filipinos rose to 14% or 3.7 million families from 10% or 2.6 million families recorded in September 2023.

In terms of socioeconomic classes, the Marcos administration had the lowest performance rating among those who belong to Class E (40%), OCTA said on Monday.

It recorded a performance rating of 66% among those who belong to class ABC and 64% among those who belong to class D.

The survey had a ±3 percent margin of error at a 95% confidence level. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza