A survey released on Monday showed growing pessimism among Filipinos about the country’s economic and political direction, with national outlook hitting its weakest point since 2022.
The Pahayag First Quarter Survey, conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia Inc. from March 15 to 20, 2025, found 45 percent of respondents believed the country was headed in the wrong direction, up from 32 percent in the previous quarter. Those who felt the country was on the right track fell to 29 percent from 42 percent.
The independent, non-commissioned nationwide survey of 1,500 registered voters also revealed a significant decline in economic indicators, including household financial expectations.
Forty-five percent of respondents perceived the country’s state as weak, up from 35 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024, while only 28 percent considered it strong, down from 31 percent.
Economic outlook also deteriorated, with 39 percent expecting the national economy to decline further, compared to 26 percent last quarter. Optimism about the economy dropped to 32 percent from 48 percent.
Household financial expectations weakened, with 48 percent believing their financial situation would improve, down from 60 percent in the previous quarter.
The survey found that concerns were most pronounced among respondents from Mindanao, the youth sector (18 to 29 years old), middle- and high-income families, non-working individuals and those with a college background.
Two in three registered voters expressed pessimism about the second quarter of 2025, with 30 percent reporting growing anxiety about the country’s future.
PUBLiCUS Asia said the survey used a purposive sampling method, drawing respondents from a research panel of over 200,000 registered Filipino voters maintained by PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace.