SIXTY PERCENT of respondents in the Social Weather Stations’ (SWS) Third Quarter Survey expressed readiness to help victims in the recently resolved Marawi City crisis.

But this latest snapshot of the SWS’ Third Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey also showed a considerable 20% each of “undecided” and “unready” respondents.

The noncommissioned survey was conducted Sept. 23-27, with Marawi City, provincial capital of Lanao del Sur, being four months into its terror crisis at the time before the government deemed the crisis resolved two months later.

Asked what they can do to help victims of the Marawi crisis, 54% or respondents said “pray for/offer Mass for the victims,” 51% said “donate relief goods,” 49% said “donate clothes,” 16% said “donate money,” and 13% said “work personally in packing/delivering relief goods.”

Four percent said “offer own house to keep/protect victims,” 2% said “give free transportation/rides,” and 0.1% said “give free medicine.”

SWS noted, among other findings, that readiness to help victims of the Marawi City crisis is highest in Mindanao at 70%, followed by Metro Manila at 68%, Visayas at 57%, and Balance Luzon at 54%.

Readiness to help is 63% in overall urban areas and 57% in overall rural areas, the polling group also noted, adding that it tends to be higher among the upper classes, “is 61% among women, similar to 59% among men,” and “ranged from 54% to 64% across age groups.”

“By education, readiness to help tends to be higher among those with more years of formal education,” SWS noted in part. “Readiness to help was 67% among religions other than Roman Catholicism and Islam, 66% among Muslims, 61% among Iglesia ni Cristo members, and 59% among Roman Catholics.”

Regarding forms of assistance in terms of religious groups, prayers and masses are the top answers among Roman Catholics, Muslims and other religious groups at 55%, 47%, and 60%, respectively. Donation of clothes is highest among the Iglesia ni Cristo at 58%, followed by donation of relief goods (54%) and offering of prayers, services (40%).

The survey was conducted via face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults nationwide, with 600 respondents in Balance Luzon and 300 each for Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao, with a sampling error margin of ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for Balance Luzon, and ±6 each for Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Sought for comment about the survey, Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr., said it was “an affirmation of the bayanihan spirit of the Filipino, 60% is an overwhelming majority.”

“We thank the people for the support that they have shown to the victims of Marawi atrocities,” he added. — Rosemarie A. Zamora

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR