Reining in inflation appeared to be the top concern of most Filipinos, followed by affordable basic foods such as rice, vegetables, and meat.
A survey conducted by OCTA Research showed that 65 percent of Filipinos in all class levels across the are worried by rising prices of basic necessities and services.
The survey, dubbed Tugon ng Masa and conducted from June 25 to July 1 indicated that controlling the increase in prices of basic goods and services" remained a major concern of most adult Filipinos.
“It is also the top concern across major areas and income classes,” OCTA said in a statement.
Pay hikes was also foremost in the mind of the people, the survey showed, followed by jobs creation and poverty reduction at 33 percent and 28 percent, respectively.
A higher percentage of adult Filipinos in Mindanao (71 percent) consider controlling the increase in prices of basic goods and services as an urgent national concern among the major areas. In comparison, 51 percent of adult Filipinos in Visayas expressed more significant concern about access to affordable food than in other major areas.
Concerns about increasing wages or salaries are relatively higher in Metro Manila and the Visayas at 36 percent compared to Balance Luzon and Mindanao.
While there was no significant disparity among Filipinos who are worried about inflation, those concerned about access to affordable food declined by four percentage points this quarter compared to the first quarter survey conducted last March 2024.
“Adult Filipino personal concerns about finishing schooling or providing education for their children continued to be prevalent. A three-percentage point increase was observed in June 2024 at 47 percent as opposed to March 2024, where there were only 44 percent saying such,” the OCTA report stated.
“Across major areas, health is the urgent personal concern of most adult Filipinos except in Visayas, where it is lower but statistically tied to having enough to eat daily (68 percent vs. 71 percent). More adult Filipinos (71 percent) in the Visayas are concerned with having enough to eat daily (71 percent) than in Mindanao (62 percent), Balance Luzon (55 percent, and NCR (36 percent).
Regarding finishing schooling or providing education to children, fewer adult Filipinos in NCR (39 percent) consider it an urgent personal concern compared with Balance Luzon (43 percent) and Visayas and Mindanao with 47 percent each. Also, significantly more adult Filipinos in NCR (41 percent) are concerned about saving compared with those in Balance Luzon (34 percent), Visayas (21 percent), and Mindanao (32 percent). The same pattern holds on the personal concern of owning a house and lot, which is at 38% in NCR, significantly higher than those in Balance Luzon (24 percent), Visayas (20 percent), and Mindanao (18 percent), the report read.
The percentage of adult Filipinos who identified having a secure and well-paying job or source of income as a personal concern decreased significantly from a high of 67 percent (two-thirds) of adult Filipinos in March 2022 (two years ago) to only 38 percent in March 2024. For those concerned with being a victim of any serious crime, the percentage showed a significant decrease compared with 2021 levels, from a high of 47 percent in January 2021 to only 34 percent in March 2024. Finally, those who identified having savings as a personal urgent concern comprise roughly a third of adult Filipinos from October 2022 until the current quarter, it added.
