MANILA: Self-rated poverty and hunger among Filipino families have experienced a notable decline in the third quarter of 2024, according to a recent survey by OCTA Research. Approximately 43 percent of Filipino families, or about 11.3 million, identified themselves as poor, marking a significant improvement from the 48 percent recorded in the previous quarter.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey, conducted from August 28 to September 2, highlights a 5-percentage point reduction in self-rated poverty, translating to around 1.4 million families no longer considering themselves poor. This shift illustrates a “notable shift in self-perceptions of poverty,” as described by OCTA.
The survey revealed a marked improvement in Mindanao, where self-rated poverty dropped dramatically by 17 percentage points, from 77 percent in June to 60 percent in August. However, the survey noted an increase in self-rated poverty in Metro Manila and the Visayas, rising by 7 percentage points to 35 per
cent and 59 percent, respectively. Respondents who rated themselves as poor indicated a need for a median monthly income of PHP30,000 to meet household expenses and an additional PHP10,000 per month to escape poverty.
In addition to poverty, the survey recorded a significant reduction in self-rated hunger. Approximately 11 percent of Filipino families, or about 2.9 million, reported experiencing hunger at least once in the past three months, down from 16 percent in the previous quarter. This decrease represents a reduction of about 1.3 million families experiencing involuntary hunger. The decline was observed across all major areas except the Visayas, where the percentage remained constant at 20 percent from June to August. Mindanao witnessed the most substantial drop, from 25 percent in June to 11 percent in August.
Despite these improvements, the survey indicated that 42 percent of Filipino families, or an estimated 11.1 million, still considered themselves food-poor as of August, a figure “almost unchang
ed” from the 51 percent recorded in the previous quarter. OCTA noted that while efforts to reduce hunger are yielding results, food poverty continues to pose a significant challenge.
The survey, which involved face-to-face interviews with 1,200 male and female respondents aged 18 and above, has a margin of error of ±3 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.