Marcos Administration Suffers Lowest Approval Rating in 16 Years

The Marcos Jr. administration registered a 32% satisfaction rating in the recently released Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted in late March. This marks a significant drop from the previous quarter, where the administration still managed a moderate net satisfaction rating of +14.

Twenty-one percent of respondents are undecided, while 46% are dissatisfied. This means nearly half the public is unhappy, while a significant share remains uncommitted or uncertain on how to register their views. What makes this 32% more than a statistical dip is its directionality - it marks a plunge from the previous quarter, where the administration still managed a moderate net satisfaction rating of +14.

Regionally, the pattern is clear. In Luzon sans the country's capital region, the SWS table shows that 39% are satisfied while 39% are dissatisfied, leaving the administration with a net satisfaction score of zero. In Metro Manila, 29% say they're satisfied, while 52% are dissatisfied, giving a net score of -23. In the Visayas, it's 28% versus 51%, also -23. In Mindanao, the DDS stronghold, it slips further to 25% satisfied and 52% dissatisfied, at -27.

Fighting inflation is the administration's weakest governance area, with a net satisfaction score of -12. This is significant, given the global pressure from the Middle East crisis. Fuel prices jumped quickly, and once that happened, everything else followed: power, transport fares, delivery and service costs, basic goods. The survey was conducted in late March, about a month after the country and much of the world started feeling the adverse effects of the crisis.

The survey also shows that oil pricing is another area of concern, with a net satisfaction score of -12. People don't experience it in policy terms; they feel it when jeepney fares and power rates go up, when delivery fees increase, and when they're sitting there trying to decide if the trip is still worth it. The administration's handling of oil pricing is seen as ineffective, with many feeling that they're not in control of where things are going.

The SWS survey also reveals that corruption is a significant concern, with a net satisfaction score of -10. The administration's promise to eradicate graft and corruption is seen as empty, given the lack of action on the ground. The biggest corruption scandal to hit the government, centered on flood control projects, is still ongoing.

The Discaya couple, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and ex-senator Bong Revilla are among those detained in connection with the scandal. Others like fugitive ex-congressman Zaldy Co remain scot-free. The scandal has cost Martin Romualdez the House speakership.

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey was conducted in late March, about a month after the country and much of the world started feeling the adverse effects of the Middle East crisis. The survey revealed a 27-point swing in the administration's satisfaction rating, marking a plunge from the previous quarter.

The SWS survey showed that 39% of respondents in Luzon sans the capital region are satisfied, while 39% are dissatisfied, leaving the administration with a net satisfaction score of zero. In Metro Manila, 29% say they're satisfied, while 52% are dissatisfied, giving a net score of -23. In the Visayas, it's 28% versus 51%, also -23. In Mindanao, the DDS stronghold, it slips further to 25% satisfied and 52% dissatisfied, at -27.

Fighting inflation is the administration's weakest governance area, with a net satisfaction score of -12. Oil pricing is another area of concern, with a net satisfaction score of -12. Corruption is a significant concern, with a net satisfaction score of -10.

The survey was conducted in late March, about a month after the country and much of the world started feeling the adverse effects of the Middle East crisis. The survey revealed a 27-point swing in the administration's satisfaction rating, marking a plunge from the previous quarter.

The SWS survey showed that fighting inflation is the administration's weakest governance area, with a net satisfaction score of -12. This is significant, given the global pressure from the Middle East crisis. Fuel prices jumped quickly, and once that happened, everything else followed: power, transport fares, delivery and service costs, basic goods.

The survey also showed that oil pricing is another area of concern, with a net satisfaction score of -12. People don't experience it in policy terms; they feel it when jeepney fares and power rates go up, when delivery fees increase, and when they're sitting there trying to decide if the trip is still worth it. The administration's handling of oil pricing is seen as ineffective, with many feeling that they're not in control of where things are going.

The biggest corruption scandal to hit the government, centered on flood control projects, is still ongoing. The Discaya couple, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and ex-senator Bong Revilla are among those detained in connection with the scandal. Others like fugitive ex-congressman Zaldy Co remain scot-free.