Three out of every five Filipinos surveyed by Social Weather Stations from July 3 to 6 believe China is hiding the truth behind the spread of COVID-19, which has infected 12.7-million people across the globe.
The survey showed 61 percent of the respondents accepted the allegations by other countries that China did not disclose full information on the pandemic, including the severity of the disease it causes and the number of people it had killed in that country.
Out of the 1,555 respondents in the survey, 61 percent agreed that China concealed information on the respiratory disease, while 23 percent disagreed and 15 percent were undecided, SWS said.
The polling body said the net belief score was "very strong" at +38.
It also noted that the belief score was highest in the Visayas (+43) followed by Metro Manila (+41), Mindanao (+38), and Balance Luzon (+35).
Of those who said they believed the accusation against China, 77 percent agreed that “China should be held accountable for not immediately sharing their information on COVID-19 to the world.”
Fifteen percent disagreed and 7 percent were undecided.
The net agreement score was "extremely strong" at +62 and was highest in Balance Luzon followed by the Visayas, Metro Manila and Mindanao.
The survey, conducted among 1,555 Filipinos aged 18 and above nationwide, was sponsored by the Stratbase Albert Del Rosario Institute.
It had sampling error margins of ±2 percent for national percentages, ±6 percent for Metro Manila, ±5 percent for Balance Luzon, ±5 percent for the Visayas, and ±5 percent for Mindanao.