While a majority of adult Filipinos anticipate an improvement in their quality of life over the coming year, overall personal optimism has plummeted to its lowest level in nearly six years, the March 2026 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed on Tuesday, May 5.
The national poll, administered between March 24 and 31, indicated that 38% of respondents anticipate their circumstances to improve over the next 12 months (“optimists”).
Meanwhile, 32% believe their situation will remain unchanged (“no change”), 16% foresee a downturn (“pessimists“), and 14% withheld their responses.
These figures yield a Net Personal Optimism score—calculated by deducting the percentage of pessimists from optimists—of +23, which SWS categorizes as “high.”
“This is 13 points down from the ‘very high’ +36 in November 2025, and 16 points below the 2025 average Net Personal Optimism score of ‘very high’ +39,” SWS said.
“The March 2026 Net Personal Optimism score of high +23 is the lowest since the mediocre +2 in September 2020,” it added.
Geographically, optimism contracted across all regions with the exception of the Visayas. Balance Luzon dropped from an “excellent” +40 in November 2025 to a “high” +22 in March 2026.
Decreases were also felt in Metro Manila, which slid from +36 to +28, and Mindanao, which declined from +35 to +20. The Visayas maintained a “high” status at +27, experiencing only a minor dip from +29.
Downturns were similarly observed in demographical and sociological divisions. Optimism in rural sectors retreated from +36 to +24, while urban localities fell from +37 to +22. A steeper decline was observed among female respondents, dropping from +39 to +20, compared to males who fell from +34 to +26.
Every age bracket registered diminished optimism. The youth aged 18 to 24 decreased from +54 to +39; those aged 25 to 34 fell from +41 to +22; and the 35 to 44 group moved from +39 to +28. Meanwhile, the 45 to 54 demographic dipped from +34 to +16, and individuals aged 55 and older saw a drop from +28 to +10.
Educational backgrounds did not exempt respondents from the trend, as all levels saw reductions. College graduates shifted from +44 to +26, individuals with some senior high school education fell from +44 to +29, and junior high school graduates dropped from +33 to +22. Elementary graduates receded from +31 to +19, while non-elementary graduates decreased from +37 to +22.
The SWS methodology scales Net Personal Optimism scores as follows: +40 and above is considered “excellent”; +30 to +39 is “very high”; +20 to +29 is “high”; +10 to +19 is “fair”; +1 to +9 is “mediocre”; -9 to 0 is “low”; and -10 and below is “very low.”
The survey sampled 1,500 adult respondents nationwide via face-to-face interviews, consisting of 600 participants from Balance Luzon, alongside 300 individuals each from Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The study carries a sampling error margin of ±3% at the national level, with wider margins applying to the regional breakdown.