ABOUT 43% of Filipino families consider themselves poor, according to a Dec. 2021 poll conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The SWS said in a statement on Monday that this translates to an estimated 10.7 million families, which is lower than the 11.4 million based on the September survey last year.
SWS said the fourth quarter survey showed that 39% of families considered themselves “borderline poor,” while 19% felt they are not poor.
The group said the percentage of families who rated themselves as poor fell in Mindanao to 43% from 58%, and in Metro Manila to 25% from 34%. On the other hand, there were slight increases in the Visayas and in Balance Luzon.
SWS said about 6.9% or equivalent to 1.7 million of people who said they were poor rated themselves as non-poor a year to four years ago.
The survey, which was conducted from Dec. 12 to 16, interviewed 1,440 adult Filipinos from across the country. The sampling error margins are ±2.6% for national percentages, and ±5.2% for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza