The Fourth Quarter 2022 Social Weather Survey, done on December 10-14, 2022, found a record-high 89% of adult Filipinos satisfied with the way democracy works in the country.
This is 11 points above the 78% in April 2021, and 3 points above the previous record of 86% in September 2016.
Satisfaction with the way democracy works used to range from 29% to 70% from November 1991 to March 2010, and then it has ranged from 59% to 89% since June 2010.
The question on “satisfaction in the way democracy works” originated from the Eurobarometer surveys and is also in standard use in Latin American and Asian barometer projects.
The December 2022 survey also found 60% saying “democracy is always preferable to any other kind of government” (committed democrats), compared to 26% saying “under some circumstances, an authoritarian government can be preferable to a democratic one” (conditional authoritarians) and 15% saying “for people like me, it does not matter whether we have a democratic or a non-democratic regime” (indifferent).
Satisfaction with how democracy works is responsive to national elections
Satisfaction with the way democracy works had peaks of 70% in September 1992, 70% in July 1998, 69% in September 2010, 86% in September 2016, and the current record of 89% in December 2022, related to the successful presidential elections of 1992, 1998, 2010, 2016, and 2022, respectively.
SWS: 89% of Pinoys satisfied with how democracy works in PH
For the 2013 and 2019 senatorial elections, 80% in June 2013 and 85% in June 2019 were satisfied with the way democracy works.
In contrast, satisfaction with the way democracy works was a disappointing 44% in June 2004, after the presidential election of that year.
Two out of three say democracy is always preferable to any other form of government
The percentage of adult Filipinos saying “democracy is always preferable to any other kind of government” rose by 6 points from 54% in April 2021 to 60% in December 2022. This is 5 points below the record-high of 65% in June 2013. Preference for democracy has been above 50% since June 2015.
Those who say that “under some circumstances, an authoritarian government can be preferable to a democratic one” rose by 6 points from 20% in April 2021 to 26% in December 2022. It has always been between 15% and 27%, and recently 20% and above for four consecutive rounds since September 2018.
The percentage of those saying, “for people like me, it does not matter whether we have a democratic or a non-democratic regime,” fell by 11 points from 26% in April 2021 to 15% in December 2022. This is 1 point above the record low of 14% in June 2019.
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