Trust in China falls, while trust in US improves — SWS

THE Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported that even more Filipinos are distrustful of China since its last survey, while their trust of the United States has been increasing.

On Friday, SWS said in a statement that the net trust rating of Filipinos towards China is now “poor” according to its June 2019 survey.

“The Second Quarter 2019 Social Weather Survey, conducted from June 22-26, 2019, found 51% of adult Filipinos with little trust, 21% undecided, and 27% with much trust in China, for a net trust rating (% much trust minus % little trust) of -24, classified by SWS as poor,” the survey firm said in its report. SWS noted that China’s Net Trust Rating is -18 points lower than its “neutral” score in the March 2019 survey of -6. This is the China’s lowest since the “bad” -35 net trust rating in June of 2018.

The non-commissioned survey had 1,200 participants across the country.

SWS Net Trust Ratings are classified as the following: +70 and above is “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”; +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; -70 and below, “execrable.”

On the other hand, SWS said that 81% of Filipinos trust the US, with only 8% saying they had little trust, while 11% answered they were undecided. This makes the US’ Net Trust Rating +73 or “Excellent.” This was 13 points higher than the +60 the country got in the March 2019 survey.

Other countries monitored by the SWS in the June 2019 survey also got mostly “Good” Net Trust Ratings, with SWS saying “It was +46 (63% much trust, 16% little trust, correctly rounded) for Canada, +46 (62% much trust, 15% little trust, correctly rounded) for Australia, +45 (63% much trust, 18% little trust) for Japan, +38 (55% much trust, 17% little trust) for New Zealand, and +34 (53% much trust, 18% little trust, correctly rounded) for Malaysia.”

Regarding the intentions of other countries towards the Philippines, 43% of respondents disagreed with the statement “Most of what the Chinese government wants to happen in the Philippines is good for the Filipinos” (25% strongly disagree and 18% somewhat disagree) while only 27% agreed (8% strongly agree and 19% somewhat agree). Thirty percent were undecided. This gives a Net Agreement Score of -16 (% agree minus % disagree) which SWS added is a “moderately weak” rating. In the December 2018 survey, China received a -17.

Meanwhile, the US’s Net Agreement Score for the same statement (“Most of what the American government wants to happen in the Philippines is good for the Filipinos”) was +39, with 55% of Filipinos agreeing (20% strongly agree and 35% somewhat agree) while 17% disagreed.

SWS classified net Agreement Ratings as follows: +50 and above, “extremely strong”; +30 to +49, “very strong”; +10 to +29, “moderately strong”; +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “moderately weak”; -30 to -49, “very weak”; -50 and below, “extremely weak.” — Gillian M. Cortez