MANILA, Philippines — A majority of adult Filipinos feel unable to impact the fight against public sector corruption, according to a nationwide survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS) conducted in late June.
The poll, conducted from June 20 to 29, revealed that 52% of respondents agreed with the statement:
“Ang isang taong katulad ko ay walang magagawa upang mabawasan ang korupsyon sa gobyerno.”
Only 30% disagreed with the statement, while 17% remained undecided. This yielded a net disagreement rating of -22, which SWS categorizes as “moderately weak.”
The rating reflects almost no change from the -23 recorded in March 2026—the first time the question was asked nationally since December 2009—indicating that public sense of personal efficacy against graft has stalled this year.
According to SWS, the 2026 figures represent the lowest levels of civic confidence recorded since the survey began asking the question in 2006, when net disagreement stood at -11.
Geographically, belief in personal efficacy was lowest in Metro Manila, which posted a net disagreement score of -37, followed by Balance Luzon (-23), Mindanao (-21), and the Visayas (-10).
Compared to March, confidence fell significantly in the Visayas (dropping from 0 to -10) and Metro Manila (falling from -31 to -37), while improving slightly in Mindanao and Balance Luzon.
By educational background, sense of efficacy saw its sharpest decline among college graduates and post-graduates, dropping 17 percentage points from +3 in March to -14 in June. Non-formal and elementary-level educated respondents scored -2, while junior high school graduates recorded -29.
The nationwide face-to-face survey interviewed 1,200 adults across Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. It carries a margin of error of ±3% for national totals and ±6% for regional breakdowns.