A study has revealed that 48 percent of Dabawenyos anticipate an average quality of life under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
This is based on the comprehensive survey on “Dabawenyos’ Economic Outlook and Quality of Life Expectations” by the University of Mindanao-Institute of Popular Opinion (UM-IPO), which was conducted from January 25, 2024 to February 10, 2024. It showed the perspectives of the Dabawenyos on their quality of life, economic conditions, and expectations for the future context of the current Philippine economic climate.
According to the survey result, 48 percent of Dabawenyos anticipate an average quality of life, whereas 30.6 percent hold a positive outlook, expecting good quality of life, and 10 percent are optimistic life to be excellent.
“Dabawenyos are still uncertain or wary about economic issues that affect them. We asked them questions about their quality of life, and whether they had perceptions or satisfactions. We also asked them about the general economic situation as well as Davao City in particular now that we are in the second year under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It is timely as we are still in the first quarter of this year,” said Dr. John Vianne Murcia, director of UM-IPO, during the Kapihan sa PIA at NCCC Mall Victoria Plaza on Friday.
According to the survey’s per district analysis, District 1 showed a higher tendency towards neutrality, indicating a significant portion of its residents are uncertain or undecided about their outlook for 2024.
District 2 has the lowest among the three districts and this could indicate a generally more positive or at least less negative perception of future quality of life and economic conditions among its residents.
District 3 presented a balanced mix of optimism and neutrality but had a notably higher number of pessimistic responses compared to District 2.
The survey showed that economic perspectives among the Dabawenyos are mixed. While 40.9 percent of respondents expressed neutrality indicating uncertainty about economic improvement, 24.6 percent were somewhat optimistic, and 19.7 percent were very optimistic about their economic well-being.
In terms of public services such as healthcare, education, and transportation, 35.8 percent of Dabawenyos find these services to be adequate, and 29.6 percent rate them as good.
On job and opportunities, 41.1 percent rated moderate and 26.1 percent said that job opportunities were abundant; on peace and order situation in Davao City, 43.5 percent said moderate and 28.7 percent said good; for housing and living conditions, 42.6 percent rated moderately satisfactory while 34.9 percent said satisfactory.
Murcia said this indicates a recognition of existing challenges alongside an acknowledgment of the strengths in Davao City’s socio-economic fabric.
In terms of future outlook, the survey showed that 46.7 percent of Dabawenyos believe that Davao City will significantly improve in the next five years, while 30.4 percent anticipate slight improvements. Despite this optimism, a portion of the population remains cautious with 12.6 percent expecting conditions to remain the same and a small minority foreseeing potential declines.
Murcia said that these findings paint a picture of a community that while navigating uncertainties and mixed economic signals, holds a cautiously optimistic view of the future.
The survey administered on 1,200 respondents across Davao City’s three political districts, adhering to a 95 percent confidence level and a 2.5 percent margin of error, culminating in 1,190 valid responses for in-depth analysis.
