(Eagle News)–Fewer families consider themselves poor, a recent Social Weather Stations survey showed.
The survey, done from March 28 to 31, showed a record-low 38%, or an estimated 9.5 million families, who believe this to be the case.
The figure is 12 points below the 50%, or an estimated 11.6 million families, in December 2018, and 4 points below the previous record-low of 42% in September 2016 and March 2018.
The SWS said the 12-point decline in the first quarter of 2019 was due to decreases of 16 points in Balance Luzon, 12 points in Mindanao, 6 points in the Visayas, and 2 points in Metro Manila.
“The new record-low self-rated poverty score is a continuing recovery from the 10-point rise within the first three quarters of 2018,” the SWS said.
Based on the survey, a new record-low 27% of families, or an estimated 6.8 million, rate themselves as food-poor.
This is 7 points below the 34%, or an estimated 7.9 million, in December 2018, and 2 points below the previous record-low of 29%.
According to the SWS, the “new record-low proportion of self-rated food poor families comes after the recovery from the 7-point increase in self-rated food poverty in the first three quarters of 2018.”
Based on the survey, of the 62% self-rated non-poor families, a record-high 15% used to be poor 1-4 years ago, and a record-high 20% used to be poor five or more years ago.
“The remaining 26% have never experienced poverty,” the SWS said.
The pollster said of the 38% self-rated poor families, 6% used to be non-poor 1-4 years ago,and 6% used to be non-poor five or more years ago.
The SWS said the remaining 26%, or about three out of four poor families, have never experienced being non-poor.
The March 2019 Social Weather Survey made use of face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults nationwide: 360 each in Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Sampling error margins are pegged at ±2.6% for national percentages, and ±5% each for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.