Filipino Optimism on Economy Improves, One in Three Expects Better Times

Adult Filipinos expecting the Philippine economy to improve over the next 12 months rose to 33% in June from 25% in March, according to the Social Weather Stations (SWS). In a survey released on Monday, the poll showed that 32% expected economic conditions to remain unchanged, while 24% said the economy would worsen, and 11% offered no response. The resulting Net Economic Optimism score climbed 24 points to +10, classified as “fair” by the pollster, following a plunge to -14 in March. The rebound reverses a downward trend previously observed from +18 in March 2025, +9 in September 2025, and +6 in November 2025. Net optimism scores improved across all geographic regions, led by Balance Luzon at +18, followed by the Visayas at +6 and Mindanao at +4, while Metro Manila registered -6. By education level, sentiment was highest among non-elementary graduates at +20, compared with elementary graduates at +12, junior high school graduates at +10, and college graduates at -7. By self-rated poverty, non-poor families scored +19, borderline poor families reached +5, and self-rated poor families posted +3. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show gross domestic product grew by 2.8% in the first quarter, while headline inflation stood at 6.1% in August and unemployment reached 6% in July, representing 3.14 million jobless individuals. SWS said it conducted the self-funded survey from June 20 to 29 through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide, carrying a sampling error margin of ±3 percentage points for national percentages and ±6 percentage points for regional figures. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking