Public satisfaction with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s performance rose in the second quarter of 2025, according to the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Tuesday.
The survey, conducted from June 25 to 29, 2025, indicated that the President received the highest gain from those in Balance Luzon and among the 55-year-old and older age group, but his rating remained ‘poor’ among those in the 18- to 24-year-old bracket.
It showed that nearly half, or 46 percent, of adult Filipinos were satisfied with Marcos’ performance, up from 38 percent in April 2025. Thirty-six percent, on the other hand, were dissatisfied, down from 48 percent in the same period. Those who were ‘undecided’ accounted for 19 percent, an increase from April’s 14 percent.
This result translated into a net satisfaction rating of +10 (satisfied minus dissatisfied), which the SWS classifies as ‘moderate.’ It marks a 20-point improvement from the ‘poor’ -10 recorded in April 2025, reversing the steady decline from ‘very good’ +32 in September 2024 to ‘neutral’ +1 in February 2025.
Not numbers alone
Asked for his comment, Marcos appeared to be surprised, saying he was not aware of the improvement in his trust ratings.
‘It’s, of course, nice to note. I didn’t know about that. But now that you tell me, of course I’m glad that it’s that way,’ he told reporters during his visit to Masbate City on Wednesday to lead the distribution of assistance to families affected by Typhoon Opong last week.
‘I guess we just have to keep working. Whatever is happening-whether there’s a storm, a scandal, or unrest-the people always expect the government to continue delivering services, to keep doing its work at every level, both national and local,’ he added.
As public servants, Marcos said, they should be simply working to serve the people, and not be seen as playing games, or engaging in nonsense or politicking.
Gains in all areas
An improvement in the President’s satisfaction ratings was driven by gains across all areas, with the highest recorded in Luzon outside Metro Manila at ‘moderate’ +28, representing a 21-point jump from ‘neutral’ +7 in April 2025.
This was followed by Metro Manila at +1, the Visayas at -2, and Mindanao at -9, all classified as ‘neutral.’ Compared to the previous survey, these reflect increases of seven points from ‘neutral’ -6, nine points from ‘poor’ -11, and 35 points from ‘bad’ -44, respectively.
Marcos’ net satisfaction also improved across both rural and urban areas. In rural areas, it rose by 11 points from -4 to +7, both ‘neutral,’ while in urban areas it climbed by 27 points from ‘poor’ -14 to ‘moderate’ +13.
The President’s net satisfaction rating also rose among all age groups except for those between 18 and 24 years old.
‘Poor’ for Gen Z
Compared to April 2025, net satisfaction with the President among those 55 years and older rose by 23 points from ‘neutral’ +9 to a ‘good’ +32 in the latest survey. It rose six points to ‘neutral’ +5 compared to ‘neutral’ -1 among 45- to 54-year-olds.
For 35 to 44-year-olds, his net satisfaction was at ‘neutral’ +5, up by 18 points from ‘poor’ -13 in April 2025. It also rose by 43 points to ‘neutral’ +4 from ‘bad’ -39 among 25 to 34-year-olds.
Meanwhile, it hardly moved at ‘poor’ -18 from ‘poor’ -19 among the 18 to 24-year-olds, or those from Generation Z.
The survey was conducted among 1,200 adults using face-to-face interviews and had a sampling margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percent for national percentages and plus-or-minus 6 percent for Metro Manila, Visayas, Mindanao, and Luzon outside Metro Manila.