Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 10) — Less than half of Filipino adults believe the country’s economy will improve in the next twelve months, according to a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The poll found 46% of respondents as “economic optimists” while 28% said the economy will stay the same. Six percent, meanwhile, believe it will worsen.

The net economic optimism score is +40 which is four points below the +44 recorded in the previous poll conducted in December last year. The score, however, is still classified by the SWS as “excellent.”

“The 4-point decline in the national Net Economic Optimism score from December 2021 to April 2022 is due to slight decreases in all areas except in the Visayas,” the SWS said in its report.

The independent pollster conducted the face-to-face survey on April 19-27, 2022 among 1,440 adults, 360 each from Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The sampling error margins are ±2.6% for national percentages and ±5.2% for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Meanwhile, the economic team of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. recently said they expect the economy to expand by at least 6.5% annually throughout his term.

READ: Marcos econ team sees at least 6.5% growth until 2028; reveals debt, poverty reduction targets