Filipinos More Optimistic About Better Year Ahead - SWS Survey

MANILA, Philippines — Overall personal optimism among Filipinos improved in June, with 48 percent (“optimists”) expecting their quality of life to improve in the next 12 months. According to the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from June 20 to June 29, eight percent saw it worsening (“pessimists”) while 31 percent said it will stay the same (“no change”). This resulted in a net personal optimism (percentage of “optimists” minus percentage of “pessimists”) of +40, which is classified by the SWS as “excellent.” This was also 17 points up from the “high” +23 in March and slightly above the 2025 average “very high” score of +39. The June score was the highest since the “excellent” +41 recorded in June 2025. Among regions, net personal optimism was highest in Luzon outside Metro Manila at an “excellent” +49, up 27 points from the “high” +22 in March. It was followed by Metro Manila at a “very high” +36 (up 8 points from a “high” +28), the Visayas at a “very high” +33 (up 6 points from a “high” +27), and Mindanao at a “very high” +31 (up 11 points from a “high” +20). The June survey also found that 33 percent of adult Filipinos said their quality of life improved compared to 12 months ago (“gainers”), while 33 percent said it worsened (“losers”). On the other hand, 34 percent said it stayed the same (“unchanged”). Among these groups, net personal optimism was higher among the “gainers” at an “excellent” +60, followed by “unchanged” at an “excellent” +40 compared to “losers” at a “fair” +12. The SWS classifies net personal optimism scores of +40 or more as “excellent,” +30 to +39 as “very high,” +20 to +29 as “high,” +10 to +19 as “fair,” +1 to +9 as “mediocre,” -9 to 0 as “low” and -10 and below as “very low.” The survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide with sampling error margins of plus-or-minus 3 percent for national percentages and plus-or-minus 6 percent each for Metro Manila, Luzon outside Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao. /das