MANILA — Nearly half of Filipinos expect their quality of life to improve over the next 12 months, with public optimism rebounding sharply from earlier this year, according to a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The June 20 to 29, 2026 survey found that 48 percent of Filipinos believe their quality of life will improve, while 31 percent expect it to remain unchanged.

Only 8 percent said they expect their living conditions to worsen, while 12 percent did not give an answer.

These results produced a net personal optimism score of +40, which SWS classifies as “excellent.”

The latest score was 17 points higher than the +23 recorded in March 2026 and slightly above the 2025 average of +39.

SWS said the June result was also the highest net personal optimism score since the +41 recorded in June 2025.

Net personal optimism measures the difference between the percentage of respondents who expect their quality of life to improve and those who expect it to worsen.

SWS classifies scores of +40 and above as excellent, +30 to +39 as very high, and +20 to +29 as high.

The survey showed that optimism improved across urban and rural areas, among men and women, and across all age groups.

The biggest increase was recorded in Balance Luzon, where net personal optimism rose by 27 points from +22 in March to +49 in June.

Metro Manila improved from +28 to +36, while the Visayas climbed from +27 to +33. Mindanao rose from +20 to +31.

Despite stronger optimism about the future, Filipinos remained divided when asked about how their lives had changed over the past year.

About 33 percent said their quality of life had improved compared with 12 months earlier, 34 percent said it stayed the same, while another 33 percent said it had worsened.

SWS has tracked personal optimism since 1984. The measure has turned negative only 11 times, including a record low of -19 in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest results show personal optimism has returned to pre-pandemic levels after dropping to +23 in March before rebounding in June.

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