Five out of 10 Filipinos said their quality of life declined over the past 12 months, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released Wednesday, April 22.
The survey, conducted from March 24 to March 31, found that 50% of respondents classified themselves as “losers” or those whose lives worsened. Meanwhile, 23% said their lives improved (“gainers”), and 26% reported no change.
Net Gainers Score Drops to Four-Year Low
The results translated to a net gainers score of -26 (gainers minus losers), which SWS classifies as “low.” This marks a sharp 19-point drop from -7 (“fair”) in November 2025.
The figure continues a downward trend from +12 (“very fair”) in June 2025 and -2 (“fair”) in September 2025. The latest score is also the lowest in over four years, since the -44 (“extremely low”) recorded in September 2021.
Across regions, Mindanao and Metro Manila posted the lowest scores at -31 (“very low”), followed by the Visayas at -25 and Luzon outside Metro Manila at -23, both classified as “low.”
Survey Classification and Methodology
Under the SWS classification system, net gainers scores are graded as follows:
- +20 and above: Excellent
- +10 to +19: Very high
- +1 to +9: High
- 0 to -9: Fair
- -10 to -19: Mediocre
- -20 to -29: Low
- -30 to -39: Very low
- -40 to -49: Extremely low
- -50 and below: Catastrophic
The survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults nationwide. It has a margin of error of ±3% for national results, ±4% for Luzon outside Metro Manila, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
