DABAWENYOS have high hopes the Duterte administration can deliver the needed services and its promises, according to the survey conducted by the Institute of Popular Opinion of the University of Mindanao in its August 2, survey.
A total of 1200 respondents across the three congressional districts were surveyed.
A multi-stage cluster sampling was used, and a 5 percent margin of error and 95 percent confidence level were employed.
Although optimism results are expected to differ if survey was conducted after the September 2 bombing, findings of the survey still reflects the fundamental psyche of the ordinary Dabawenyo in ordinary times. The basic fabric of sentiment is still extractable and can be employed to appraise likelihood in an altered environment.
Dabawenyos have higher degree of optimism for the quality of life in Mindanao compared to the whole country as a whole.
Ninety-nine percent of Dabawenyos were optimistic that the quality of life in Mindanao will get better in the next 6 years, while 98 percent believed that quality of life in the Philippines will get better in the next 6 years.
The Dabawenyos’ very high optimism for improvement in the quality of life was described by very high optimism on the solutions to drugs and crime situations where 99.5 percent believed that the condition will improve.
Also 85.56 percent of the Dabawenyos have very high hopes of significant infrastructure development.
A 68.91 percent were highly confident that corruption in the government will be addressed.
With regards to employment, 67.50 percent believed this will improve, 63.67 percent believed that government services will improve, 64.67 percent have high hopes for peace and order, and 53.33 percent of the Dabawenyos are very highly confident that hunger and poverty situation will be addressed and situation gets better.
A total of 24 percent only of Dabawenyos believed that the West Philippine Sea where Dabawenyos express a slack on this international issue.
A statistical determination was employed to detect whether these improvements in drugs, infra, corruption and all others influence the optimism that quality of life in Mindanao and Philippines in general.
Regression analysis indicated that areas or sectoral improvement which influence that quality of life in Mindanao improved due to high optimism on the following: improvement in employment situation, peace situation relating to Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) & Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), hunger and poverty, and crime and drugs.
Dabawenyos’ optimism is not influenced by improvement of public service/transactions, corruption in the government, West Philippine Sea, and infrastructure development.
Perhaps because Dabawenyos already enjoy the efficient and corruption-free Davao City Government coupled with significant infrastructure improvement when the President was still serving as mayor and even when succeeded by daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio as mayor.
For the country as whole, optimism on the quality of life is influenced by improvement in employment situation, hunger and poverty, and corruption in the government.
Improvements in the following areas will not enhance the optimism of improvement in the quality of life: peace deals with MNLF/MILF/BIFF, public service improvement, West Philippine Sea situation, and infrastructure development.
Therefore, the September 2 bombing touched a very significant fiber in the optimism psyche.
It is expected, however, that the Dabawenyos can spring back immediately to return to normal Dabawenyo life because the finding indicated that insurgencies and Moro problems affect Mindanao life as a whole than the spurious bombings.
Moreover, disaggregating the optimism of better quality of life signify that both males and females have similar degree of optimism for both Mindanao and Philippines.
Optimism that quality of life in Mindanao will improve in next six years by income classes, Class A have the highest optimism (5.0) followed by Class C (4.92) while least among the Class E.
A different pattern was determined for the improvement of life of the Philippines where Class B as highest (5.0) followed by Income Class C (4.82) while least for the Income Class A.
By employment, optimism for Mindanao quality of life is highest among those with regular employment and the businessmen, least rating among the unemployed.
For the Philippine quality of life improvement for next six years indicated a different pattern with the business revealing highest optimism rating.
In addition, the most optimistic that Mindanao life gets better in the next six years are aged 18-29 and the 41-49, while still optimistic yet comparably conservative are the senior citizens.
The same pattern was observed for optimism for improvement in the life in the country as a whole for the next 6 years.
The respondents were also asked relative to this year’s situation compared to last year.
Taken altogether, the total welfare situation compared to last year seemed to indicate better ratings with 56.5 percent of the population indicating the said rating.
A marked improvement was evident in the exposure of households to crimes with 95 percent indicating improvement while 50 percent revealed that this year has been better situation for hunger situation and ability to buy medicines compared to last year.
A slackened rating was observed for the employment situation with 66.92 percent saying this year’s employment is better than previous year. (PR)