EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FINDINGS OF #PAHAYAGOnline2 Poll (MARCH 7-16, 2019)
PUBLiCUS Asia’s, Inc. independent poll PAHAYAG looked into the opinion of 1,800 online respondents from different areas of the country. The field work was conducted on March 7-16, 2019. Respondents’ opinion were measured on the following variables: Living Standards, Approval ratings of public officials, State of the Nation, Media Habits, Issues on Federalism, Perception on PRRD, Senatorial Preferences (Top 20), Hate Speech/Fake News and Celebrity Endorsements and other Campaign Issues.
LIVING STANDARDS
Overall, the majority of the respondents is under 30 years old. Most of the respondents indicated that they are presently working and are employed by private institutions. In the academic degree category, over three- fourths of respondents indicated that they had at least a college level education which suggests that the distribution of online voters varies differently from other platforms. Three out of four respondents said they are Catholic by faith.
Two thirds of the respondents indicated that their household had a monthly income on or below the minimum wage. As with basic needs, majority of the respondents indicated that prepaid load is an expense item. This is due to the overwhelming usage of cellular phones by Filipinos.
Most of the respondents indicated that they are not financially reliant on their family members. A little over 60% said that they earn enough to lead the lifestyle they want and 95% said they do not have enough money but now are confident they will eventually do. The majority of respondents appear to be optimistic about the future but most are unsure what direction to take in their career.
APPROVABILITY OF LEADERS
An overwhelming majority of respondents indicated that they approve of the way President Rodrigo Duterte is doing his job. Senate President Vicente Sotto and Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin has moderately good ratings. Vice President Leni Robredo and House Speaker Gloria Arroyo both have low trust net ratings. The AFP and the PNP have the highest net favorability ratings among respondents.
PUBLIC PERCEPTION ON PRRD
Over three-fourths of respondents indicated that PRRD makes them feel proud and/or optimistic. This invokes the strong support online millenials have on Duterte. Majority of respondents also agree that the President is honest and genuine and the media covers him with a negative slant. They also think PRRD is leading the country to inducive change.
STATE OF THE NATION
Most respondents indicated that they are generally satisfied with their personal lives, the country’s economy, and the country’s democracy. Respondents say that the government should prioritize more on health care and education. In the poll, majority of respondents lean towards Filipino conservatism on social issues like raising a family and gay couple having kids. Most of the respondents also believe that having the same faces or names in public office is generally a bad thing for Filipino society. Many respondents are aware of many hot-button issues facing our society and actively engages in political discussion.
MEDIA HABITS
The #PAHAYAGOnline2 results show that most respondents get most of their news and information from online sources. The most common activities among respondents are reading headlines and reading online news articles. Facebook and other social media platforms serves as the main method to gather news and information. However, in the field of sports, majority look towards online websites to track the latest happenings.
The majority of respondents indicated that they play online games. Many have said they are competitive online media players and play every day. They do this because online games relieve them from stress.
HATE SPEECH/FAKE NEWS
A little over a fourth of the respondents indicated being a subject of hate speech online. Half of all the respondents say they witness someone being the subject of hate speech online. About 40% of the respondents say they took steps in responding to hate speeches by flagging and reporting. The respondents want the government to address the issue and punish the people behind the crime.
Many respondents are aware of boosting in social media and 40% admitted to having been boosted online. Also, many respondents try to avoid what they view to be fake news yet still browse it. Moreover, almost a fourth of respondents share unverified content.
PUBLIC PERCEPTION ON THE SHIFT TO A FEDERAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT
Three fourths of the respondents indicated that they are aware of the shift to federalism but admitted they lack enough knowledge on the issue. Also, less than half of respondents indicated that they were aware of the controversial ‘pepedederalismo’ video and a third of the respondents say it was impactful. Most respondents say that the shift to federalism will make the country better and that a transition period must occur to implement it.
SENATORIAL PREFERENCE OF RESPONDENTS (TOP 20)
In #PAHAYAGOnline2, Cynthia Villar leads in the rank of preferred senatorial candidates. She is followed by Pia Cayetano at second place, Grace Poe at third, Bato Dela Rosa at fourth, Sonny Angara at fifth place, Willie Ong at sixth place and Bong Go at seventh place. Part of the Top 12 are: Koko Pimentel (8th), Francis Tolentino (9th), Imee Marcos (10th), Nancy Binay (11th) and Serge Osmena in the 12th place. Outside the 12 are Bam Aquino (13th place), Larry Gadon (14th place) and Lito Lapid (15th place). Finishing the top 20 are JV Ejercito (16th place), Jiggy Manicad (17th place), Mar Roxas (18th place), Juan Ponce Enrile (19th place) and Bong Revilla at the 20th spot.
The notable differences of #PAHAYAGOnline 2 with the other surveys are the following candidtes are ranking high online: Willie Ong at Rank 6, Francis Tolentino at Rank 9, and Larry Gadon at Rank 14. Most respondents indicated that they will at least consider supporting candidates endorsed by the president.
CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS AND OTHER CAMPAIGN ISSUES
Coco Martin, Vice Ganda, Sarah Geronimo, Pia Wurtzbach, and Maine Mendoza emerged at the Top 5 of celebrities with strong endorsement powers. They are followed by Dingdong Dantes, Kris Aquino, Marian Rivera, Alden Richards and Kathryn Bernardo. In terms of campaigning, Facebook and Twitter remain the top platforms used for campaigning. Almost all respondents indicated that digital campaigns influence voting behaviors and tend to distrust any form of attacks on a candidate. Respondents say that they are prompted to do research on said allegations. Most online respondents said they will report illegal activities online.