MANILA – A latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that 84 percent of adult Filipinos are satisfied with the way democracy works in the Philippines.
According to the 2018 SWS third quarter survey held from Sept. 15-23, the number has increased from 78% in March 2018 and nearly tied the record-high 86% registered in September 2016.
“Satisfaction with the way democracy works has ranged from 59% to 86% since June 2010,” the SWS noted.
The pollster found that 59% of the 1,200 adult respondents said democracy is always preferable to any other kind of government while 20% answered they sometimes prefer authoritarianism and 19% said “it does not matter”.
SWS called 59% the “committed democrats” while 20% the “conditional authoritarians” and 19% the “indifferent”.
The figures “hardly moved” compared to March 2018 survey, which showed that 60% are committed democrats, 20% are conditional authoritarians and 21% are indifferent.
Due to the 6-point increase in satisfaction with the way democracy works and steady figures regarding preference for democracy, the SWS said the September 2018 survey found increases in satisfaction with democracy among committed democrats, conditional authoritarians, and those who were indifferent.
It said satisfaction was the highest among committed democrats at 88% or also a 6-point increase from 83% in March this year while satisfaction jumped by five points among conditional authoritarians from 75% to 80% in the same period.
Although satisfaction was the lowest among those who were indifferent at 74%, the score was still six points better compared to 68% in the March 2018 survey.
The question on “satisfaction in the way democracy works” originated from the Eurobarometer surveys, and is also in standard use in Latin American and Asian barometer projects, according to SWS.
SWS said an average of 56% of Europeans are satisfied with the way democracy works in their country while only 36% has been recorded in Latin America. (Jelly Musico/PNA)
