Optimism among Filipinos about their quality of life climbed to its highest level in more than a year in June, with nearly half expecting their living conditions to improve over the next 12 months, according to the Social Weather Survey (SWS).
The SWS said 48 percent of Filipinos expected their quality of life to improve, while 31 percent believed it would remain unchanged. Eight percent expected their living conditions to worsen, while 12 percent did not give an answer.
These figures produced a net personal optimism score of +40, which the SWS classified as “excellent.”
The June 20 to 29, 2026 survey marked a 17-point increase from the +23 recorded in March, when net personal optimism was classified as “high.”
The June score was also slightly higher than the 2025 average of +39, classified as “very high,” and the highest since the +41 recorded in June 2025.
The SWS classifies net personal optimism scores of +40 and above as excellent, +30 to +39 as very high, +20 to +29 as high, +10 to +19 as fair, +1 to +9 as mediocre, -9 to zero as low, and -10 and below as very low.
The pollster said optimism increased across rural and urban areas and among both women and men across all age groups.
Balance Luzon recorded the largest improvement from March, with its net personal optimism rising 27 points from +22 to +49, moving from the “high” to “excellent” range.
Metro Manila also posted an increase, with its score rising eight points from +28 to +36, shifting from “high” to “very high.”
In the Visayas, optimism increased six points from +27 to +33, while Mindanao posted an 11-point rise from +20 to +31. Both regions moved from the “high” to “very high” range.
The SWS said net personal optimism has turned negative only 11 times since it began measuring the indicator in 1984. Its lowest recorded score was -19 in May 2020, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
The indicator later recovered to pre-pandemic levels before falling to +23 in March 2026 and rebounding to +40 in June.
Meanwhile, Filipinos were more divided when asked how their quality of life had changed over the previous 12 months.
The June survey found that 33 percent said their quality of life had improved, 34 percent said it remained the same, and another 33 percent said it had worsened compared with a year earlier.
Photo by Kaiser Jan Fuentes
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