“GETTING a salary increase” and “staying healthy” are the leading urgent national and personal concerns of many Filipinos, the latest Pulse Asia survey revealed.
The survey, conducted among 1,200 respondents from Dec. 6 to 11, 2016, found that the need to increase workers’ pay was the most urgent national concern for 45 percent of Filipinos, followed by controlling inflation (34 percent), reducing poverty (33 percent), fighting criminality (33 percent), creating more jobes (31 percent) and fighting corruption (31 percent).
Other urgent national concerns were promoting peace (23 percent), enforcing the rule of law (17 percent), reducing taxes (12 percent), stopping the destruction of the environment (11 percent), protecting the welfare of overseas workers (10 percent), controlling population growth (8 percent) and defending the integrity of Philippine territory (6 percent).
Filipinos were least concerned with Charter Change and terrorism (both at four percent). There was a seven-percentage-point decrease in the level of concern about job creation from the previous survey in September.
In the same survey, staying healthy and avoiding illnesses top the list of personal concerns of many Filipinos at 63 percent.
Filipinos also want to have a secure and well-paying job (44 percent), finish schooling or provide schooling for one’s children (41 percent), and have enough to eat on a daily basis (41 percent).
Other personal concerns are avoiding being a victim of crime (38 percent), having some savings (38 percent) and having a house and lot (34 percent).
The survey had a ±3 percent margin of error at the 95-percent confidence level.