95% in poll want drug suspects captured alive

NINETY-FIVE percent (95%) of respondents in a Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll last September say it is important for the police to capture illegal drug trade suspects alive.

The Third Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey also asked respondents “whether they believe that the police consider it important or not important to capture drug suspects alive,” and “77% said it was important (51% very important, 25% somewhat important, correctly rounded)” for the police that they capture drug suspects alive, while “23% said it was not (14% somewhat not important, 9% not at all important).”

This latest noncommissioned survey, published Oct. 24 and conducted Sept. 23-27, had face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide, 600 in Balance Luzon and 300 each in Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao, with sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for Balance Luzon, and ±6% each for the other said areas.

An earlier, also noncommissioned survey by the SWS conducted June 23-26 had 90% of respondents saying it is important that drug suspects be captured alive. But this survey had face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide, 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (with sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages and ±6% each for the four mentioned areas.

Of the 90% of respondents in the June survey, 68% said it was very important that drug suspects be captured alive, while 22% said this was somewhat important.

Of the 95% in the September survey, 76% said it was very important that police capture drug suspects alive, while 19% said this was somewhat important.

By area, belief in the importance of drug suspects captured alive was 96% in Metro Manila (82% very important, 14% somewhat important) and Balance Luzon (75% very important, 21% somewhat important) and 94% in the Visayas (83% very important, 11% somewhat important) and Mindanao (68% very important, 26% somewhat important).

“The proportion of those who believe that the police consider it important (% very important plus % somewhat important) to capture drug suspects alive was highest in Mindanao at 86%, followed by Visayas at 83%, Metro Manila at 77%, and Balance Luzon at 69%,” SWS said.

The polling group also noted that President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s “net satisfaction rating was at very good levels among those who believe that the police consider it very important (+54) and somewhat important (+50) to capture drug suspects alive.”

“However, it was one grade lower among those who believe that the police consider it somewhat not important to capture drug suspects alive, at a good +42, and two grades lower among those who believe the police consider it not at all important, at a mere moderate +14.”

“Similarly, the National Administration’s net satisfaction rating was at very good levels among those who believe that the police consider it very important (+64) and somewhat important (+63) to catch drug suspects alive.”

“However, it was at good levels, or one grade lower, among those who believe that the police consider it somewhat not important (+45) and not at all important (+30) to capture drug suspects alive,” SWS said. — Rosemarie A. Zamora