PUBLIC satisfaction with President Rodrigo Duterte's performance in the first quarter of 2018 improved in the Visayas, but declined in areas in Luzon outside Metro Manila, according to the latest survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS).

Among the socioeconomic classes, satisfaction with Duterte's performance also declined in Class ABC and E. The biggest decline of 17 percentage points was noted in Class E, as the President's war on drugs impacts heavily on urban poor communities.

The President's satisfaction rating remained excellent in Mindanao, his bailiwick, and was steady in Metro Manila.

Overall, the President continued to enjoy a "very good" net satisfaction rating of +56, despite a two-percentage-point decline in his score from the +58 in the last quarter of 2017.

Following the release of the SWS survey results, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said the President would continue his resolve to work "double time" to improve the lives of the Filipino people.

Roque said they were pleased with the results, considering the various pressing issues hurled at the Duterte administration.

He said the survey results would inspire the President to work harder to address the problems faced by the country, such as the drug menace, criminality, and terrorism, in an effort to bring a comfortable life to his fellow Filipinos.

"Public confidence, as we can see, has remained high notwithstanding matters and concerns the government is handling. We are thus grateful for our people's vote of confidence," Duterte's spokesman said in a statement.

"This would further inspire the President, along with the members of his Cabinet, to work double time in bringing the fruits of sustained and inclusive growth to the poorest and marginalized sectors while ensuring our communities remain safe and secure from drugs, crime and terrorism," he added.

The March 23 to 27 poll gave Duterte a satisfaction rating of 70 percent. Only 14 percent expressed dissatisfaction, while 17 percent were ambivalent on the matter, resulting in a net rating of +56, classified as "very good" by the SWS.

The survey showed that the President enjoyed a 12-percentage-point increase in his net satisfaction rating in the Visayas, reported at +65 in the first quarter compared to +53 in the last quarter of 2017. Both scores are considered "very good."

However, he suffered a decline of 11 percentage points in Balance Luzon, causing his net satisfaction score to fall by one grade to "good" +39 in March from "very good" +50 in December.

Duterte's net satisfaction in his bailiwick in Mindanao remained "excellent," at +82 in March, up by two-percentage points from +80 in December.

In Metro Manila, his score was steady at "very good," declining only by a percentage point to March's +54 from December's +55.

The pollster also noticed declines in the President's net satisfaction across all socioeconomic classes, except in Class D that remained unchanged from December's "very good" +57.

Class E showed the biggest decline of 17 percentage points to "good" +48 in the first quarter of 2018 from "very good" +65 in the last quarter of 2017.

Duterte's net satisfaction score was also lower by three percentage points in Class ABC (March's "very good" +63 from December's "very good" +66).

Respondents from age groups 25 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 54, and 55 and above were satisfied with the President's performance, giving him "very good" net satisfaction ratings of +69, +52, +56, and +54, respectively.

He, however, just posted a "good" +46 net satisfaction score among those in the 18 to 24 years old bracket.

His net satisfaction also stayed "very good" in all educational levels: +69 among college graduates; +54 among high school graduates; +53 among elementary school graduates; and +58 among non-elementary school graduates.

The SWS interviewed 1,200 adult respondents using sampling error margins of ±3 percentage points for national percentages, and ±6 percentage points each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. (SunStar Philippines)