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Pulse Asia: Majority of public still trust Aquino


Despite the problems facing his nine-month-old administration, President Benigno Aquino III maintained high approval and trust ratings, according to a new survey by pollster Pulse Asia. The survey conducted from Feb. 24 to March 6 showed the predominant sentiment toward Aquino as “one of public appreciation for his work (74 percent) and public trust in him (75 percent)." “Nearly three in four Filipinos (74 percent) approve of the performance of President Benigno S. Aquino III in the past three months," it said. “No significant changes in the performance and trust ratings of President Aquino occur between October 2010 and March 2011 – at the national level and in all geographic areas and socio-economic groupings," it added. However, there was a slight drop from the ratings of Aquino in a survey conducted Oct. 20 to 29 last year. Last year’s survey showed 79 percent approve of Aquino's performance and 80 percent expressed trust in him. “The President registers big majority approval ratings (75% to 86%) and trust ratings (75% to 87%) in all of the country’s geographic areas, with those in the Visayas granting him his highest ratings," Pulse Asia said in last year's survey. “Across socio-economic groupings, 74% to 83% approve of presidential performance while 78% to 85% trust President Aquino," it added. In this year’s survey, the president's approval ratings ranged from 66 percent in Metro Manila to 83 percent in the Visayas across geographic areas, and from 69 percent in the best-off Class ABC to 80 percent in the poorest Class E across socio-economic classes. On the other hand, Aquino records single-digit disapproval ratings at the national level (7 percent) and in the different geographic areas (4 to 9 percent) and socio-economic groupings (5 to 8 percent). Public indecision regarding presidential performance is expressed by almost one in five Filipinos (18 percent). Across geographic areas, public indecision is most pronounced in Metro Manila (26 percent) and least manifest in the Visayas (13 percent) and Mindanao (15 percent). Levels of public ambivalence across socio-economic classes vary from 14 percent in Class E to 26 percent in Class ABC. Big majority Pulse Asia also said a “big majority" of Filipinos (75 percent) trusts Aquino. “Majority trust ratings are enjoyed by the President in all geographic areas (69% to 84%) and socio-economic classes (71% to 78%)," it said. In contrast, less than one in 10 Filipinos (6 percent) distrusts Aquino and single-digit distrust ratings are recorded across geographic areas (2 to 7 percent) and socio-economic groupings (2 to 7 percent). Regarding public ambivalence on the matter of trusting or distrusting President Aquino, this is a sentiment expressed by 20 percent of Filipinos. “Essentially the same indecision levels may be noted in the different geographic areas (13% to 24%) and socio-economic classes (18% to 26%)," Pulse Asia said. Generally constant Pulse Asia said slight changes in overall presidential ratings may be observed during this period as approval and trust ratings decreased by 5 percentage points while disapproval and distrust ratings went up by 4 percentage points. It added that only single-digit changes in the President’s performance and trust ratings occur across geographic areas and socio-economic classes between October 2010 and March 2011. However, the Aquino administration scored majority approval ratings on only three out of 11 national issues on which it is performance-rated in this survey. The majority approval ratings are recorded on:

  • Fighting graft and corruption (56 percent);
  • Fighting criminality (54 percent); and
  • Improving the national peace situation (53 percent) Public approval is the plurality sentiment toward the work done by the national administration on five other issues:
  • Enforcing the law equally on all Filipinos (49%);
  • Protecting the environment (48%);
  • Creating more jobs (48%);
  • Increasing the pay of workers (48%); and
  • Reducing poverty (41%) About the same approval and indecision ratings are obtained by the administration on two issues:
  • Expanding the source of government funds (44 percent versus 41 percent) and
  • Controlling population growth (42 percent versus 37 percent) “Public opinion is split as regards the administration’s efforts to control inflation – an issue which 53% of Filipinos say the Aquino administration must immediately address – with 37% of Filipinos being appreciative, 32% being critical and 31% being ambivalent toward the administration’s performance," Pulse Asia said. Spiraling prices But Filipinos are most critical of the administration’s initiatives to control the spiraling prices of basic commodities (32 percent) and to reduce poverty (26 percent). With respect to public indecision, it is most manifest toward the current dispensation’s efforts to expand the sources of government funds (41 percent) and to manage population growth (37 percent). Decline in six issues Public appreciation for the administration’s work on six issues eased between October 2010 and March 2011:
  • Controlling population growth (-11 percentage points);
  • Creating more jobs (-11 percentage points);
  • Enforcing the law equally on all Filipinos (-9 percentage points);
  • Fighting criminality (-8 percentage points);
  • Increasing the pay of workers (-8 percentage points); and
  • Controlling inflation (-8 percentage points) Conversely, public disapproval becomes more pronounced during this period on the following issues:
  • Controlling inflation (+11 percentage points);
  • Increasing the pay of workers (+8 percentage points);
  • Creating more jobs (+8 percentage points);
  • Reducing poverty (+8 percentage points);
  • Fighting criminality (+7 percentage points) and * Controlling population growth (+7 percentage points). On the other hand, levels of public indecision remain practically unchanged on all 11 national issues between October 2010 and March 2011, Pulse Asia said. The survey was conducted Feb. 24 to March 6, using face-to-face interviews. The survey interviewed 1,200 representative adults and has a ± 3 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level. Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey (i.e., Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) have a ± 6 percent error margin, also at 95 percent confidence level. At the time the survey field work was conducted, the following developments dominated the headlines: (1) the impeachment proceedings against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez at the House of Representatives; (2) the congressional investigations into the plea-bargaining agreement entered into by former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, as well as the alleged corruption involving former high-ranking military officials; (3) the diplomatic row between the Philippines and Taiwan over the deportation of 14 Taiwanese nationals to China; (4) government efforts to save three Filipinos facing execution in China for drug trafficking; (5) the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution; (6) the evacuation of Filipinos in Libya amidst the ongoing civil unrest in the country; (7) the earthquake in New Zealand that took the lives of several Filipinos; (8) the replacement of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary, the confirmation of some presidential cabinet appointees, the proposed filing of administrative charges versus the Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief for alleged complicity in the failed takeover of the LTO’s information technology systems contractor Stradcom in December 2010 and the appointment of a new AFP chief of staff; and (9) the continuing increase in the prices of petroleum products and the prices of other commodities. – KBK/HS, GMA News
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