A recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) has revealed that almost half of the adult population in the Philippines, or 47%, agrees that it is unsafe to publish or broadcast anything critical of the government, even if it is true.

The findings were released on Monday, a week after World Press Freedom Day.

According to the results of the survey, only 26% of the respondents disagreed with the statement, while the remaining 27% were unsure.

The poll was conducted from December 10 to December 14, 2022, and utilized face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adult participants.

The margin of error for national percentages was plus or minus 2.8, and plus or minus 5.7% for each of the four geographical areas surveyed, namely, Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Net Agreement Score

The survey also showed that the net agreement score was still moderate, albeit with a lower value of +20 compared to the previous poll, which had a value of +24.

The net agreement score is obtained by subtracting the percentage of those who disagree from those who agree with the statement.

Regional Differences

Metro Manila recorded the highest net agreement score of +28, followed by the Visayas with +23, Luzon outside Metro Manila with +21, and Mindanao with +13.

In comparison to the December 2021 results, the net agreement score dropped in all areas, except in Mindanao, where it rose by six points from +7 to +13.

The most significant decrease in agreement score was observed in Metro Manila, which fell from a strong score of +41 to a moderate score of +28.

Education Level

The survey also found that the net agreement score was at moderate levels among non-elementary graduates, at +24, junior high school graduates, also at +24, and elementary graduates at +18.

However, the net agreement score dropped among college students, from a moderate score of +27 to a neutral score of +4.