Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed at least 5.2 million Filipino families experienced hunger at least once in the past three months, the highest number recorded since September 2014.
The survey covered 1,555 respondents and was conducted from July 3 to 6. It showed a 4.2 points increase from 16.7 percent in May 2020, and 12.1 points from 8.8 percent in December 2019.
The figure is the highest recorded since September 2014, wherein 4.8 million families said they experienced hunger.
According to SWS, 15.8 percent or equivalent to an estimated 3.9 million families experienced “Moderate Hunger,” while 5.1 percent or an estimated 1.3 million families experienced “Severe Hunger.”
SWS said, “Moderate Hunger” is those who experienced hunger “Only Once” or “A Few Times” in the last three months.
“Severe Hunger,” meanwhile, refers to families who experienced it “Often” or “Always” in the last three months.
The survey also showed the hunger increase in both the Visayas and Balance Luzon, compared to the May 2020 record.
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Hunger in the Visayas increased from 14.6 percent to 27.2 percent while it rose to 17.8 percent in Balance Luzon from the previous 12.6 percent.
In Mindanao, the hunger rate remained at 24.2 percent, but it decreased to 16.3 percent from 20.8 percent in Metro Manila.
The latest SWS survey was conducted through mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone. It’s sampling error margins of plus-minus two percent for national percentages, plus-minus six percent for Metro Manila, and plus-minus five percent for Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Last month, SWS also released the results of a survey that showed a record-high 83% of Filipinos who say their life quality got worse in the past 12 months, breaking the previous 62% recorded in June 2008.
SWS surveyed from May 4 to 10 on Filipinos aged 15 years old and above nationwide. Of the total number, 294 are in the National Capital Region, 1,645 are in Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside of Metro Manila), 792 are in the Visayas, and 1,279 in Mindanao.
In April, the Philippines also recorded a “record-high” unemployment rate in the Philippines of 17.7%, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
From 2.3 million unemployed in April 2019, it rose to 7.3 million, a factor attributed to job losses due to the COVID-19 lockdown.