There has been a significant decline in optimism among Filipinos regarding the country’s current state, direction, and economic prospects toward 2025, a new survey said.
The PAHAYAG 2024 End of the Year Survey also said that only 31% of respondents rate the country’s current state as strong, a sharp drop from 45% during the same period last year and 36% last quarter.
Additionally, 42% believe the country is on the right track, down from 66% last year and 50% in the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, optimism about the national economy has also diminished, with 48% expecting improvement compared to 67% last year and 53% last quarter, the survey said.
On household financial stability, 60% of Filipinos express confidence, but notably lower than the 70% reported a year ago.
The survey further said regional and demographic insights show that key areas such as North-Central Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao—traditionally strongholds of the Marcos and Duterte bases—are driving the decline in sentiment. Concerns are more pronounced among middle- and high-income earners, private-sector workers, OFW and non-OFW families, and individuals with a college background.
Among low-income groups, optimism about household financial prospects heading into Q1-2025 remains the lowest.
By the end of the year, only 51% of respondents expressed optimism about the nation’s current state, a steep drop from 68% last year. This decline has left Filipinos split evenly between positive and negative perceptions of the country’s status.
The survey also highlighted the issues Filipinos deem most urgent for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address. Corruption remains the top concern at 21%, followed by prices and inflation at 13%, and the overall economy at 12%. Illegal drugs have also emerged as a pressing issue, matching inflation at 13%.
The PAHAYAG 2024 End of the Year survey (PEOY-2024) was conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia Inc., is an independent and non-commissioned survey. The survey period was from November 29 to December 3, 2024 using purposive sampling composed of 1,500 respondents randomly drawn from the market research panel of over 200,000 registered Filipino voters maintained by the Singapore office of PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace with a multinational presence.
