Pro-admin sentiment declined this year — PUBLiCUS Asia

LESS THAN half of Filipinos said they favored the Marcos administration this year, while citizens averse to the opposition have also decreased in number, according to a survey by PUBLiCUS Asia, Inc.

In a statement on Thursday, PUBLiCUS Asia said its PAHAYAG End of the Year survey of 1,500 respondents showed that Filipinos with political leanings in favor of the Marcos administration decreased to 46%, down from 50% last year.

Those who said they were against opposition politics in the Philippines dropped to 32% from 40% a year prior, the same survey showed.

Results of the poll also showed that Filipinos with an anti-administration sentiment this year stayed at 18%, while those who leaned neutral increased to 36% from 30% a year earlier.

The study was conducted nationwide from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4, 2023, with the 1,500 respondents being randomly chosen among registered Filipino voters.

The consultancy firm noted that, this year, the opposition party was still dealing with “discreditation” from the previous administration.

“Economic concerns, including price inflation, joblessness, low wages, and a perceived lack of productivity, emerge as driving factors behind the changing political landscape,” PUBLiCUS Asia said.

Headline inflation in November eased to 4.1%, the 20th straight month that it breached the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) target band of 2-4%.

Inflation averaged 6.2% in the first 11 months of 2023, still above the BSP’s 6% full-year forecast.

The Philippines’ jobless rate in October was the lowest in 18 years at 4.2%, the slowest since 2005 and matching the level in November last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Job quality improved that month as the underemployment rate, which measures the number of Filipinos seeking more work or additional working hours, fell to 11.7% from 14.2% in the same months a year earlier.

“These issues, left unaddressed by the administration, have prompted a notable migration of pro-administration voters towards neutrality,” PUBLiCUS Asia said.  — John Victor D. Ordoñez