Marcos net satisfaction score falls to ‘poor’ -11 in September, SWS says

Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s net satisfaction slid to a “poor” -11 in September 2026, down four points from June, according to a non-commissioned Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released Thursday, Oct. 8.

The Sept. 21-27 survey found that 35 percent of adult Filipinos were satisfied with the president’s performance, 46 percent dissatisfied and 20 percent undecided.

SWS classified the latest rating as “poor,” a downgrade from the “neutral” rating in June. The president’s score, however, remained above his personal record low of -15 in March.

The survey was conducted during a politically charged period, as the Senate Impeachment Court continued hearing the case against Vice President Sara Duterte, with proceedings drawing attention to allegations involving her finances and the prosecution’s evidence.

During the survey period, the impeachment court also voted on Sept. 23 to revise its interpretation of the two-thirds requirement for conviction, potentially lowering the number of votes needed to remove Duterte from office from 16 to 14. The Supreme Court upheld the prerogative of the impeachment court to craft its rules.

Malacañang has yet to comment on the latest survey results.

The president’s gross satisfaction rating declined from 38 percent in June to 35 percent in September, while dissatisfaction remained nearly unchanged at 46 percent, compared with 45 percent in June.

Ratings decline in most regions

Marcos’ net satisfaction rating declined in three of the four major geographic areas, with Metro Manila recording the lowest score at -27.

In Balance Luzon, the rating fell by 11 points from +11 to zero, while the Visayas recorded a 10-point decline from -3 to -13. Metro Manila’s rating slipped from -24 to -27.

Mindanao was the exception, with Marcos’ net satisfaction improving by 14 points from -35 in June to -21 in September.

Satisfaction also weakened among urban respondents, falling from -12 to -20, while the rating in rural areas improved slightly from -2 to +1.

Among age groups, the sharpest decline was recorded among those aged 35 to 44, whose rating dropped by 16 points from -3 to -19.

The survey involved face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults nationwide. It had a sampling error margin of ±3 percentage points for national results.