Metro Manila, Philippines — Thirty-seven percent of Filipinos said their quality of life got better compared to the past year, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey result showed.

The SWS September survey result, released on Saturday night, also stated that 24 percent said their quality of life turned worse while 38 percent said theirs stayed the same in the past year.

The net gainers – percentage of better life quality minus the worse life quality – was at 13. The SWS classified the number as “very high.”

The 13-net gainers score was lower than June 2024’s score of 15.

“The Net Gainer score was generally negative until 2015 when it rose to positive numbers until the sharp decline beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. It has since trended back upwards but has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels,” the SWS said.

The net gainer score for the latest survey was highest in Balance Luzon at 22. Mindanao followed with a score of 13, Metro Manila with 6, and Visayas with 2.

The third quarter face-to-face survey, held from Sept. 14 to 23, interviewed 1,500 adults across the country. It has a ±2.5% error margin for national percentages.