Rating governance for history

Surveying public satisfaction with the president has been done by Social Weather Stations (SWS), regularly and consistently, for four decades now. The new report, “First Quarter 2026 Social Weather Survey: net satisfaction with President Marcos falls from -3 in November 2025 to -15 in March 2026” (sws.org.ph, 5/26/26), is but the latest in a series since May 1986 in the time of the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino, which will continue, inshallah.

This data-series was initially twice-yearly, up to 1991; it became quarterly in 1992. It is intended as public information about the fluctuations in collective Filipino opinion, scientifically ascertained, over time. It is part of formal history; the methodology is documented, and the original interviews are archived and retrievable for study.

Mr. Marcos happens to be at a low point of his own public satisfaction now, but might bounce back, based on presidential history. His average net satisfaction, so far, is +25; that’s from two survey rounds in 2022, four each in 2023 and 2024, nine in 2025 (SWS had more rounds since it was an election year), and one so far in 2026.

Each new SWS report has the numbers for past presidents, and charts that show changes over time. Their full-term average net ratings were: Cory Aquino +35, Fidel Ramos +38, Joseph Estrada +33, Gloria Arroyo -7, Benigno Aquino III +45, and Rodrigo Duterte +62 (see “The popularity rating game,” inquirer.net, 10/4/25).

I must point out that, although Duterte was well-liked as a president, he was at the same time highly disliked for his bloody drug war and his unaccountable fondness for China (see “Data on EJKs and Chinese ‘friendship,’” inquirer.net, 6/29/19). History’s judgment does not rely on a single number!

The regular SWS quarterly ratings regarding governance also include the vice president, the Senate president, the Speaker of the House, and the Chief Justice. We no longer do regular ratings of other national officials, but may include the Cabinet as a whole.

SWS includes satisfaction ratings for the Senate, House of Representatives, Supreme Court, and the national administration in general. There are also ratings of satisfaction with how the national administration is dealing with major issues; we call this its report card. The perennial failing subject, i.e., always net negative, in the report card is on fighting inflation in the cost of living. The second weakest subject is on fighting corruption.

On the other hand, the subjects with “good” grades are: helping the poor, creating job opportunities, developing science and technology, implementing housing for the poor, ensuring efficient transportation, ensuring food security, and providing information about government projects. Subjects with “moderate” grades are: preparing for typhoons, defending sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, preparing for volcanic eruptions, telling the truth, and fighting hunger. Those graded as “neutral” are: ensuring that oil companies do not take advantage of oil prices, and fighting crime (see “The 2026 SWS Survey Review,” 2/11/26).

The Filipino people are the beneficiaries of good governance as well as the victims of bad governance. They are the bottom line with respect to Filipino well-being. They deserve more credit than the politicians who think they already know what the people think.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the reaction of President Donald Trump to his poll numbers has turned bizarre. Last February came the shocking news, “Gallup will no longer track presidential approval ratings” (www.nytimes.com, 2/11/26). This decision ended 88 years of steady Gallup data, going back to the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Gallup’s final 2025 Trump rating of (gross) 36 percent, was one of his lowest scores ever. It said it has shifted its corporate strategy “to focus more on issues and policy,” rather than personalities.

Fortunately, the US has many polls. The latest daily average by the New York Times (“President Trump’s approval rating: latest polls,” nytimes.com, 5/28/26) is at 59 percent disapprove and 38 percent approve, i.e. net -29. The Times says: “No president’s approval rating has been under 38 percent for more than a few days in the last 17 years, according to our average. If there has been a floor during this partisan era of politics, Trump’s ratings today have fallen to it.”

(Note on meanings of survey ratings: SWS always uses nasisiyahan or satisfactory, rather than sang-ayon or approved. Strict maintenance of terms is vital for historical analysis. In the University of the Philippines grading system, 1.0 means excellent, 2.0 means good, 2.5 means satisfactory, and 3.0 means pass or approved.)

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mahar.mangahas@sws.org.ph.

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