Hungry Filipino Families Now Down to 9.8%, Survey Says

In a survey by Social Weather Station (SWS), Filipino families who experienced involuntary hunger at least once decreased in the third quarter of this year.

A poll from September 28 to October 1, found that the hunger incidence in the country has decreased to 9.8% from 10.4% in the previous quarter.

According to SWS, out of the 9.8%, 8.4% of the respondents experienced moderate hunger, while 1.3% experienced severe hunger.

Across regions, Metro Manila tallied the highest hunger rate at 17.3% from 15.7% in June 2023, followed by Balance Luzon at 10.3% from 11.3%, Visayas at 6.7% from 9.3%, and Mindanao at 6.7% from 6.3%.

The 0.6% decline was attributed to decreases in the Visayas and Balance Luzon, an increase in Metro Manila, and a steady score in Mindanao.

Meanwhile, the hunger rate among the respondents who rated themselves as poor fell to 7.7% from June 2023 to September 2023 from 10.8%. In the September survey, 48% of Filipino families considered themselves poor, while 34% considered themselves food-poor.

According to SWS, they surveyed 1,200 adults with a margin of error for national percentages of plus or minus 2.8%. (ASC)