Nearly half of Filipino families consider themselves poor — SWS

Almost half (49 percent) of Filipino families rated themselves as “mahirap” or poor, according to the findings of leading survey research institute Social Weather Stations (SWS).

This is based on its national Social Weather Survey of June 25 to 29, which asked respondents whether they identified their families as “hindi mahirap” (not poor) or “mahirap” (poor) through self-rated poverty showcards.

Meanwhile, 10 percent of respondents rated themselves as borderline (by placing themselves on a line dividing poor and not poor), and 41 percent rated themselves as “hindi mahirap” (not poor).

The June result was 1 point below the 50 percent on April 23 to 28, following a decline from 55 percent on April 11 to 15.

The estimated numbers of self-rated poor families were 13.7 million from June 25 to 29, as well as 14.1 million from April 23 to 28. The percentage of respondent households rating themselves as poor was applied to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) medium-population projections for this year to arrive at the estimated numbers of self-rated Poor families.

The Second Quarter 2025 Social Weather Survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila), the Visayas, and Mindanao. The sampling error margins are ±3% for national percentages and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

According to SWS, its survey items were non-commissioned, included as part of its initiative, and released as a public service.