SENTIMENTS favorable to the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have slipped, while sentiments opposed to the Marcos administration have risen, a survey conducted by Publicus Asia found.
In Publicus’ third-quarter survey, the results of which were released recently, 43 percent of respondents expressed pro-administration sentiments, down from 48 percent in the second-quarter survey.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Photo from PCO
In a statement issued Thursday, the polling firm said the decrease indicated “that fewer individuals are aligned with the current administration as well as its priorities compared to the previous quarter.”
Anti-administration sentiments grew from 18 percent in the first quarter to 23 percent in the third quarter.
The shift indicates that a “greater number of respondents” are opposed to or dissatisfied with the administration’s leadership, Publicus said.
The quarter-by-quarter rise in anti-administration sentiment suggests a trend of increased dissatisfaction, it said.
The National Capital Region (NCR) had a substantial drop in pro-administration support, from 47 percent to 35 percent, while anti-administration support went up from 17 percent to 30 percent.
Southern Luzon saw a decline in pro-administration support, from 41 percent to 36 percent, but Mindanao continues to support the Marcos administration (56 percent).
The respondents remained neutral toward their political leaning toward the opposition or the Liberal Party, which remained at 45 percent. Pro-opposition support remained statistically stable at 20 percent, slightly higher than the 18 percent in the previous quarter. Anti-opposition support was 33 percent, slightly lower than the 35 percent in the previous quarter.
Publicus said that while the percentage of respondents dissatisfied with the administration has dropped, there are reservations regarding backing the opposition party.
“This group may include individuals who adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ approach, cautiously anticipating improvements from the current administration while refraining from full commitment to the opposition until concrete changes are observed,” it said.
It added that the respondents’ political leanings toward the opposition, which is likely represented by the Liberal Party, remained stable. This implies that while there have been changes in support for the current administration, they have not translated into a significant shift toward the opposition camp.
“It is important to note that respondents may have a variety of reasons for this stability, such as continued trust in the opposition’s agenda or dissatisfaction with both sides of the political spectrum,” Publicus said.
The survey, conducted from September 7 to 12, had 1,500 respondents that were drawn from the market research panel of over 200,000 Filipinos maintained by PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace.
The respondents were divided geographically into five areas: NCR, North Central Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
