A recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed that 57 percent of Filipinos believed that the worst is yet to come as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
The SWS poll showed the highest number of those who fear that the worst is yet to come are from Metro Manila at 70% followed by those residing in the Visayas at 61%.
Meanwhile, those who think the worst is yet to come reached 56% and 49% in Balance Luzon and Mindanao, respectively.
SWS surveyed 1,555 working-age Filipinos aged 18 years old and above through mobile phones on July 3 to 6. Of this number, 306 are from the National Capital Region, 451 in Balance Luzon, 388 in the Visayas, and 410 in Mindanao.
The survey’s sampling error margin is at ±2% for national percentages, ±6% for Metro Manila, ±5 for Balance Luzon, ±5% for the Visayas, and ±5% for Mindanao.
Last month, SWS 2020 National Mobile Phone Survey showed 79 percent of Filipino adults said their lives got worse in the past 12 months.
In May 2020, the SWS recorded the highest proportion of those who said their life became worse with 83 percent. The 79 percent is the second-highest recorded in July 2020.
The survey also said at least 12% said their life status stayed the same while 8%, the second-lowest proportion recorded, said their lives have improved. In May, 6% said their lives have become better.
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SWS survey: 57% of Filipinos believe the worst is yet to come
SWS survey conducted from July 3 to 6 also showed 45 percent of adult Filipinos were jobless in July amid the continuous increase of COVID-19 cases and implementation of community quarantines in the country.
With 1,555 respondents, results showed unemployment increased by 28 points from 17.5 percent in December 2019, and a new record-high since the 34.4 percent in March 2012.
According to SWS, the estimated numbers of jobless Filipino adults were 27.3 million in July 2020 and 7.9 million in December 2019.
The July 2020 SWS Survey found the adult Labor Force Participation Rate is at 86.4 percent for an estimated 60 million adults. It is lower than the 68.7 percent in December 2019 for an estimated 45.5 million adults.
Jobless were defined as “those who voluntarily left their old jobs, are seeking jobs for the first time, or lost their jobs due to economic circumstances beyond their control.”