SWS: Most Filipinos satisfied with how democracy works in PH
MAJORITY of Filipinos are satisfied with how democracy works in the Philippines, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Tuesday to mark the country’s 120th anniversary of independence.
The first quarter survey from March 23 to 27 showed that 78 percent of adult Filipinos were satisfied with democracy.
This was two points lower than the 80 percent of the June 2017 survey and a point lower than the June 2016 poll, the SWS said.
Satisfaction with the way democracy works reached a record high in September 2016 at 86 percent, and 80 percent again in June 2013 after the senatorial election in May.
“In contrast, satisfaction with the way democracy works was a disappointing 44 percent in June 2004, after the presidential election of that year,” SWS said.
The same survey said 60 percent of the respondents preferred democracy than any other kind of government.
Preference for democracy reached a record high at 65 percent in June 2013 and 61 percent in June 2017.
“It has been above 50 percent since February 2009, reaching a record-high 65 percent in June 2013,” SWS said.
In contrast, preference for an authoritarian government remained at 19 percent from September 2016 to March 2018, below the 20 percent of five consecutive quarters since December 2015.
The remaining 20 percent of respondents claimed “it does not matter whether we have a democratic or a non-democratic regime.”
This, according to SWS, “barely changed from 20 percent in June 2017 to 21 percent in March 2018.”
“It has been 20 percent and above in six out of seven surveys since September 2013,” the polling firm added.
The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide — 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao — with sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages, and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
President Rodrigo Duterte in October 2017 said he has no plans of becoming a dictator.
In February 2018, however, Duterte admitted that he was a dictator but said he had to be one to put the country in order.
On Monday, the President led the celebration of the country’s 120th Independence Day in Kawit, Cavite.
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