1-11-2023 (MANILA) A recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) has revealed a concerning increase in self-perceived poverty among Filipino families during the third quarter of this year. The findings indicate that nearly half, or 48%, of Filipino families consider themselves poor, marking a three-point increase from the previous period.
The survey, conducted from September 28 to October 1, estimates that approximately 13.2 million families in the Philippines now self-identify as poor, which is higher than the 12.5 million estimated in June 2023.
The survey also highlighted shifts in self-perceived poverty categories. It found that 27% of families now rate themselves as “borderline,” indicating they fall between the “poor” and “not poor” categories. This represents a decrease of six points compared to the previous survey. Meanwhile, 25% of families rate themselves as “hindi mahirap” or “not poor,” marking a three-point increase from June.
The survey, conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults across the country, relied on the percentage of respondent households rating themselves as poor and applied it to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s medium-population projections for 2023 to estimate the number of self-rated poor families.
The most significant increase in self-rated poverty was observed among families in Mindanao, where the percentage of “poor” families surged from 54% in June to 71% in September. In Metro Manila and the Visayas, the increase was more moderate, rising from 35% to 38% and 57% to 59%, respectively. In contrast, Balance Luzon experienced a decrease from 39% to 35%.
The “borderline” category increased in Metro Manila and the Visayas, reaching 29% and 32%, respectively. However, it declined in Balance Luzon, down from 38% to 25%, and in Mindanao, where it dropped from 33% to 25%.
The “not poor” category rose in Balance Luzon, increasing from 23% to 40%, but decreased in Metro Manila (42% to 33%), Mindanao (13% to 4%), and the Visayas (15% to 8%).
The survey also delved into the self-perceived food poverty, revealing that 34% of respondents considered themselves “food-poor.” This figure remained unchanged from previous surveys. However, 31% now rated themselves as not food-poor, up from 26%, while 35% placed themselves in the borderline category.
Based on these figures, SWS estimated the number of self-rated food-poor families at 9.2 million in the third quarter of the year.
One striking revelation from the survey was that the Self-Rated Poverty Threshold, which represents the minimum monthly budget that Filipino families believe they need to avoid being considered poor, has remained stagnant for several years, standing at P15,000 as of September. This has persisted despite inflation, indicating that poor families have been compelled to lower their living standards, adopting belt-tightening measures.
On the other hand, the national median Self-Rated Poverty Gap, which signifies the amount families say they need to escape poverty, decreased from P7,000 to P5,000.
The survey also identified a segment of the population considered “newly poor,” comprising 6.6% of families who had not been in poverty one to four years ago. This group, according to SWS estimates, represents 1.8 million “newly poor” families out of the 13.2 million families self-identifying as poor.
Moreover, the survey inquired whether self-rated non-poor families had ever experienced poverty in the past. It revealed that 18.1% had transitioned from being “newly non-poor” (1-4 years ago), 8.9% had been “usually non-poor” (five or more years ago), and 24.9% had “always been non-poor.”
In response to a drop in his approval ratings from a survey by the private pollster Pulse Asia, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. acknowledged that “people are having a hard time” and struggling to afford food. The president has pledged to reduce the country’s poverty rate to single digits by 2028, as outlined in his first State of the Nation Address.
