Survey shows Filipinos feel their lives are getting better

by Info @Brand Zone | September 13, 2026

More Filipinos today than in 2025 Filipinos feel that their lives will get better in the 12 months ahead, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.  

The survey, done from June 20 to 29, found that 48% of Filipino adults expected their lives to get better in the next year (optimists) while only 8% said things will get worse (pessimists).

With more optimists than pessimists, the country recorded a Net Personal Optimism score of +40, which SWS calls “excellent.”

This was 17 points higher than the “high” +23 recorded in March, when 38 percent of people expected their quality of life to improve, and 16 percent expected it to worsen.

Another 31% said they expected no change, and 12% did not answer.

SWS said the latest number was the highest since the +41 recorded in June 2025.

The polling firm said the improvement was recorded across all major areas of the country.

“Compared to March 2026, net personal optimism rose from high to excellent in Balance Luzon, up by 27 points from +22 to +49. It rose from high to very high in Metro Manila, up by eight points from +28 to +36, in the Visayas, up by six points from +27 to +33, and in Mindanao, up by 11 points from +20 to +31,” SWS said.

Optimism rises across demographic groups

The survey showed optimism rose by 17 points in both rural and city areas. The rural score rose from +24 in March to +41 in June, moving from “high” to “excellent,” while the city score went up from +22 to +39, changing from “high” to “very high.”

Women showed a 23-point increase, raising their net optimism score from +20 to +43 and moving the rating from “high” to “excellent.” Among men, the score went up 12 points from +26 to +38, or from “high” to “very high.”

Younger Filipinos showed the strongest outlook. Those aged 18 to 24 scored +58, followed by the 25-to-34 age group at +51, and both were rated “excellent.”

Respondents aged 35 to 44 scored +38, while those aged 45 to 54 scored +36; both were rated “very high.” Those aged 55 and above posted +17, classified as “fair.”

The biggest increase from March came among Filipinos aged 25 to 34, whose score jumped 29 points from +22 to +51. The 45-to-54 group gained 20 points from +16 to +36, while the 18-to-24 group rose 19 points from +39 to +58.

Those aged 35 to 44 rose 10 points from +28 to +38, while respondents 55 and older rose 7 points from +10 to +17.

Optimism stronger in all educational levels

Optimism also grew stronger across every level of educational achievement.

“Compared to March 2026, Net Optimism rose from high to very high among non-elementary graduates, up by nine points from +22 to +31, and among junior high school graduates, up by 12 points from +22 to +34,” SWS said.

“It rose from fair to very high among elementary graduates, up by 19 points from +19 to +38. It rose from high to excellent among those with some senior high school, up by 17 points from +29 to +46, and among college graduates, up by 31 points from +26 to +57,” the survey said.

The Second Quarter 2026 Social Weather Survey involved face-to-face interviews with 1,200 Filipinos aged 18 and above nationwide. Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao each contributed 300 respondents.

The survey has a margin of error of ±3 percentage points for national figures and ±6 percentage points for each major island group.