Despite the problems they faced this year, nearly nine out of 10 Filipinos or 88 percent will face the coming New Year with hope, according to a new survey by pollster Pulse Asia.
In its survey conducted Nov. 14 to 20, Pulse Asia said this was the “predominant sentiment in every geographic area and socio-economic class.”
Only one percent will face the coming year “without hope” while 11 percent are ambivalent, it added.
A breakdown of the 88 percent of those facing 2015 with hope includes 86 percent in Metro Manila, 91 percent in Luzon, 89 percent in Visayas and 84 percent in Mindanao.
Such a sentiment is prevalent among 90 percent of Class ABC, 89 percent of Class D and 84 percent of Class E.
Those facing 2015 “without hope” include one percent in all geographical areas and almost all socio-economic classes—with zero percent of Class ABC having such a sentiment.
Christmas 2014
On the other hand, the survey also showed more than half or 52 percent of Filipinos expect their Christmas celebration to be “no different” from 2013.
However, it said more Filipinos see a more prosperous Christmas celebration for their families this year than last year.
It said this is the majority sentiment in Metro Manila (51 percent), Mindanao (51 percent), and the rest of Luzon (55 percent) and in Classes D and E (53 and 51 percent respectively).
Visayans (46 percent) and those in Class ABC (44 percent) share this view or even expect a more prosperous celebration compared to 2013 at 41 and 47 percent respectively.
At the national level, 34 percent of Filipinos say the coming Christmas season will be more prosperous for their families.
Only 14 percent believe this year’s celebration will be poorer than last year’s, the survey added.
“Between December 2013 and November 2014, there is an increase in the percentage of Filipinos expecting a more prosperous Christmas season for their families (+12 percentage points),” Pulse Asia said.
It noted such movements in Metro Manila (+21 percentage points), Visayas (+16 percentage points), Class ABC (+21 percentage points), and Class D (+13 percentage points).
The percentage of Filipinos who see a poorer holiday season for their families this year fell at the national level by 10 percentage points and in the Visayas (21 percentage points) and Class D (9 percentage points), it added.
Survey background
The survey was conducted with 1,200 representative adults, with a ± 3% error margin at the 95% confidence level.
At the time the survey was conducted, the issues of the day included:
– the Senate’s continued investigation into allegations of corruption against Vice President Binay;
– the cancellation of a debate between Binay and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV;
– the Senate probe into the reported overpricing of the Iloilo Convention Center, which was endorsed by Senate President Franklin Drilon as a recipient of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF);
– the participation of President Benigno Aquino III in the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in China and the 25th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Myanmar;
– global efforts to stop the spread of the Ebola virus and, in the Philippines, the 21-day quarantine in Caballo Island imposed on Filipino peacekeepers returning from Liberia;
– Filipinos’ commemoration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day as well as the first anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda;
– the probe being conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) into the reported anomalous procurement of vaccines in 2012 by Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Enrique Ona and DOH Undersecretary Eric Tayag;
– the report of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs which calls on the Office of the Ombudsman to determine whether or not Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Alan Purisima should face graft and corruption charges;
– the approval by the House Committee on Energy of Joint Resolution No. 21 which seeks to grant Aquino emergency powers to allow him to more efficiently and effectively address the looming energy crisis in 2015 and the Senate’s approval on second reading of a bill that would raise the tax exemption cap for the 13th month pay and other benefits from the current P30,000 to P82,000
– the announcement from the National Statistics Office (NSO) that the national headline inflation slowed down again in October 2014 as it hit 4.3%;
– the release of export data by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showing the Philippine export earnings in September 2014 increasing by 15.7% year-on-year, outperforming other Asian countries such as China, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia; and
– the failure of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to meet its collection target for October 2014 as it was able to collect only P101.8 billion, lower than its target of P114.14 billion.
—Joel Locsin/KG, GMA News
