PHILIPPINES – “Despite continuing economic difficulties, most Filipinos will face the year ahead with hope.” That was the conclusion of the Ulat ng Bayan survey released December 15, 2011. Pulse Asia conducted the survey between November 10 and 23, 2011.

The nationwide survey found that optimism is the majority sentiment as regards the coming New Year with 88% of Filipinos saying they will face 2012 with hope.

Overwhelming majorities (80% to 93%) in every geographic area of the Philippines and socio-economic class (85% to 89%) expressed this sentiment. Less than one in ten Filipinos (6%) will face next year either with apprehension or without hope and without apprehension, according to the survey.

The Pulse Asia news release reported these survey results while citing some of the grim headlines that have dominated the headlines recently, including: the arrest of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on charges of electoral fraud in the May 2007 elections; the murder of a son of former Senator Ramon Revilla, Sr.; the commemoration of the second anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre; and the depreciation of the Philippine peso with increase in diesel prices and power rates.

The survey also found that only a little over half of the Filipino population (52%) feels that this year’s Christmas season will be the same as last year – a sentiment shared by majorities in all socio-economic classes (52% to 56%) and geographic areas (55% to 58%), with the exception of Mindanao. In this part of the country, almost the same percentages expect this year’s Christmas celebration to be either the same or more prosperous than last year (42% versus 37%). Meanwhile, 32% of Filipinos expect a more prosperous Christmas season this year while 15% express a contrary view on the matter. The figures recorded across geographic areas and socio-economic classes do not differ significantly from the respective national figures.

Pulse Asia’s pool of academic fellows used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above. The survey has sampling error margin of plus or minus three percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. (Source: pulseasia.com.ph)