FEWER Filipinos consider themselves poor with the latest poll on self-rated poverty hit a new record low, local pollster Social Weather Stations said Thursday.
The survey, conducted from September 24 to 27 with 1,200 respondents, showed more than 42 percent of families (or an estimated 9.4 million) rated themselves poor, breaking the previous record of 43 percent in March 2010 and March 1987.
The same survey also found that 30 percent of families (or an estimated 6.7 million) considered themselves as “food-poor,” with the September figure a point below the previous record low logged in April and June at 31 percent (estimated at 6.9 million).
“Self-rated poverty has been either steady or declining for eight consecutive quarters from 52 percent in December 2014, to 51 percent in March 2015 and June 2015, 50 percent in September 2015 and December 2015, 46 percent in April 2016, 45 percent in June 2016 and 42 percent in September 2016,” SWS said in a report.
While self rated poverty dropped at “Balance Luzon” and the Visayas and a flat reading in Metro Manila, Mindanao meanwhile had a slight increase in ratings.
Self-rated food poverty fell three points in “Balance Luzon” to a new record-low 24 percent in September from June’s 27 percent, while in the Visayas it slipped a point to 36 percent from 37 percent.
However, it edged up two percentage points in Mindanao to 41 percent from 39 percent, while it stayed at 20 percent from June to September in Metro Manila.
Malacañang welcomed the results of the new SWS survey, claiming that the administration is already in good direction on combatting poverty.
“Inclusive and sustainable growth is a campaign promise of President Duterte and for the past 100 days since his assumption [of office], he has been finding ways to make economic growth work for the poor with focus on the country’s 10 poorest provinces.”
“The Duterte administration reaffirms the state policy to preserve prime agricultural lands to ensure food security,” he noted, adding that “[a]fter 10 years of not holding a meeting, the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council finally convened in Malacañang.”
The survey has a sampling error margins of ±3 points for national percentages and ±6 points each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.