More than half of the adult Filipinos recently surveyed by Social Weather Stations said the worst was yet to come because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a 10-point increase from 47 percent in May to 57 in July this year.
The SWS poll, conducted via mobile phone from July 3 to 6, revealed that the highest proportion of those who feared that the worst was yet to come lived in Metro Manila at 70 percent, followed by those in the Visayas at 61 percent.
Those who said “the worst is behind us” fell from 44 percent in May 2020 to 35 percent in July 2020, while those who did not answer stayed at 8 percent.
The proportion of those who feared “the worst is yet to come” with the Covid-19 crisis was highest in Metro Manila at 70 percent, followed by the Visayas at 61 percent, Balance Luzon at 56 percent and Mindanao at 49 percent.
Compared to May 2020, the proportion of those who feared “the worst is yet to come” rose sharply in Metro Manila by 20 points from 50 percent. It rose in Balance Luzon by 13 points from 43 percent, in the Visayas by 7 points from 54 percent, but hardly changed in Mindanao at 48 percent
Those who said “the worst is behind us” were highest in Mindanao (41 percent) followed by Balance Luzon (35 percent), the Visayas (33 percent) and Metro Manila (26 percent).
Meanwhile, the July 2020 survey found 79 percent of the adults polled saying their quality of life got worse, while 12 percent said it was the same (“Unchanged”) and only 8 percent saying it got better (“Gainers”).
The government eased quarantine restrictions in June to partially open the economy and to allow mass transport to operate again, but this development hardly made a dent among Metro Manila residents since the 70 percent who feared the worst was yet to come were 20 points higher compared in May.
The SWS poll was conducted among 1,555 working-age Filipinos aged 18 years and above. Of this number, 306 were in Metro Manila, 451 were in Balance Luzon, 388 were in the Visayas and 410 were in Mindanao.