Dear reader, if you’re an average Filipino adult, chances are that your Quality of Life (QOL) hasn’t changed much over the past year. In fact, it’s probably gotten better rather than worse. This is according to the latest report from Social Weather Stations (SWS), titled “Gainers minus Losers rises from +5 to +11 in June” (www.sws.org.ph, 10/10/23). The question of whether people feel like “Gainers” or “Losers” has been a long-standing inquiry in SWS surveys since 1983, with 149 national surveys and numerous local surveys conducted. And it will continue to be asked.
In the June 2023 SWS national survey, 45 percent of adult Filipino respondents believed that their QOL (which the survey referred to as “uri ng pamumuhay”) hadn’t changed in the past year. However, the 33 percent who felt better off outnumbered the 22 percent who felt worse off by 11 points, resulting in a positive Net Gainers score of +11. It’s worth noting that a positive Net Gainers score is quite rare, occurring in only 24 out of the 149 national surveys conducted. On the other hand, an absolute majority of Losers occurred in seven out of the eight quarters during the pandemic years of 2020-21. The most common survey result has been a simple majority of respondents feeling no change in their QOL, and for many Filipinos, maintaining their standard of living is enough to be grateful for.
Throughout the four decades from 1983 to 2023, positive Net Gainers scores were only observed twice, once in 1986 and once in 1987 when the SWS national surveys were conducted semi-annually. Gradually, the negative Net Gainers scores improved and narrowed to single-digit negatives by mid-2010. From mid-2015 to the end of 2019, Net Gainers consistently reached positive territory, peaking at +18 in December 2019. While the country’s gross national product (GNP) had been growing faster than the population for a while, it was only during 2015-19 that the distribution of the economic pie among the people became more equitable. The highest-ever Net Gainers score of +23 was recorded in December 2017. It’s important to note that Net gaining has little correlation with GNP growth, and what really matters is keeping inflation in check.
Unfortunately, the pandemic hit in 2020, causing a “catastrophic” impact on the distribution of the economic pie, with Gainers plummeting to 6 percent and Losers soaring to 82 percent, resulting in a net score of -76 in September 2020. There was a partial recovery in 2021, with Net Gainers ranging from -38 (“very low”) to -16 (“mediocre”). In 2022, Net Gainers managed to recover to single-digit negative territory, which SWS classified as “fair” based on historical standards. By December 2022, it reached +8, which is classified as “high.” The latest score of +11 in June 2023 is the first time it has returned to double-digit positive territory since the pandemic, and it is classified as “very high.” Out of the 149 national surveys in the SWS archive, only 12 have achieved a “very high” score (+10 to +19), and only two have reached the “excellent” range (+20 and above). This demonstrates that monitoring the well-being of people is more meaningful when focusing on individuals rather than just production or GNP.
Comparing the results to the previous SWS national survey in March 2023, the proportion of Gainers increased by 4 points from 29 to 33 percent, while the proportion of Losers decreased by 3 points from 25 to 22 percent. Both changes are statistically significant, considering the national error margin of plus/minus 3 points. The 6-point improvement in Net Gainers from +5 to +11 (adjusted for rounding error) is also statistically significant. Although it represents a recovery from the score in September 2019, it’s still below the +18 recorded in December 2019 before the pandemic. The recent improvement primarily occurred in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the Visayas.
The SWS survey results are divided into four geographical areas, each with a 6-point margin of error. Compared to March 2023, NCR Net Gainers increased by 16 points from +2 to +18, while in the Visayas, it rose by 24 points from -14 to +10. These changes are considerable in these regions. In Balance Luzon, Net Gainers went from +12 to +13, while in Mindanao, it decreased from +6 to +2. Statistically speaking, Net Gainers did not experience significant changes in these two areas during the last quarter. Currently, it’s relatively easier to become a gainer in NCR compared to the Visayas or Mindanao, but it’s not quite as easy as in Balance Luzon. The chances of being a gainer in Balance Luzon are better than in Mindanao, but not quite as good as in the Visayas. The relative advantage of people in NCR and Balance Luzon is variable and changes from quarter to quarter.
Education plays a crucial role in becoming a gainer. The June 2023 Net Gainers scores were +25 for college graduates and +17 for junior high school (JHS) graduates, while elementary graduates scored only -1, and elementary drop-outs scored +1. College graduates have consistently achieved positive scores since 2010, while JHS grads started enjoying positive scores in 2016. During the pandemic, all educational groups faced challenges, but college grads were the first to recover, followed by JHS grads. For those with lesser education, the chances of getting ahead are no better than flipping a coin.
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