SWS: 59 percent agree they can say what they want even if vs Duterte admin

(Eagle News)–Fifty-nine percent of Filipinos agree they can say anything they want, openly and without fear, even if it is against the administration, a Social Weather Stations survey found.

The survey, conducted from June 22 to 26, found only 18 percent do not believe they can do this, while 23 percent are undecided.

The SWS said this gives a net agreement score of +41, classified by SWS as very strong and  18 points above the moderate +23 in December 2018.

The survey also found that 51 percent agree with the statement, “It is dangerous to print or broadcast anything critical of the administration, even if it is the truth,” 29 percent  are undecided, and 20% disagree.

This gives  a strong net agreement of +31.

At the same time, though, the SWS  found that 67% agree, 23% are undecided, and 10% disagree with the statement, “Mass media in the Philippines have freedom of speech, of expression and of press.”

This gives a very strong net agreement of +57.

The survey made use of  face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Sampling error margins were pegged at ±3% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.