Inflation, health top concerns of Filipinos – survey

TEMPERING the effects of inflation, followed by staying healthy are the biggest concern of Filipinos, the survey of OCTA Research for the last quarter of 2024 showed. The poll results, released Sunday, found that 56 percent of the 1,200 respondents listed inflation as their most pressing concern. Although still relatively high, OCTA said the figure is a significant drop from the 66 percent in the July to September survey. The high cost of commodities, with food remaining the major pain point, particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao, emerged as the biggest challenge at 44 percent. "Concern over access to affordable food increased by five percentage points, rising from 39 percent in August to 44 percent in the 4th quarter of 2024. Conversely, concern about improving or raising wages or salaries declined slightly, from 39 percent to 36 percent, while concern about creating more jobs declined by four percentage points, dropping from 33 percent to 29 percent," the research firm noted. The last-quarter survey conducted from Nov. 10-16, 2024, found staying healthy and avoiding illness to be among the biggest concerns among 70 percent of the respondents. Securing a well-paying job was next at 52 percent, and providing their children with quality education followed at 51 percent. Food security was a priority for half of the respondents. Meanwhile, the middle and upper-class groups (Class ABC) were more concerned about saving for the future. They likewise see fighting graft and corruption (30 percent) as an urgent national concern, along with defending the country's rights to the West Philippine Sea (32 percent). The survey has a ±3 percent margin of error.