Inflation remains Filipinos' top concern; graft, corruption rises to third — survey

MANILA, Philippines — Inflation remains the top concern among Filipinos despite easing from its March peak, while graft and corruption has emerged as the country's third most urgent issue amid heightened public attention to governance, according to the latest Tugon ng Masa survey by OCTA Research.

The nationwide poll found that 37% of adult Filipinos identified controlling the increase in the prices of basic goods and services as the most urgent issue the Marcos administration should address, down eight percentage points from 45% in March.

"Even with this decline, inflation continued to rank as the number one national concern, underscoring the continued importance of cost-of-living issues to Filipino households," OCTA said.

Improving workers' wages and salaries remained the second most urgent concern at 34%, up slightly from 33% in the previous quarter.

"Together, these findings suggest that economic and cost-of-living issues continue to dominate the public's policy priorities," the research firm said.

Source:OCTA Research Tugon ng Masa Survey

Fieldwork: July 4–11, 2026 | n=1,200 adult Filipinos | Margin of Error: ±3%

Concern over fighting graft and corruption climbed six percentage points, from 26% to 32%, making it the third most urgent national concern among respondents.

"This makes corruption the third most urgent national concern cited by adult Filipinos, reflecting heightened public attention to issues of transparency, accountability, and integrity in government," OCTA said.

The survey also found concern over providing free quality education rising from 17% to 22%, while reducing poverty fell sharply from 20% to 12% — the lowest level recorded since the survey series began.

Other top concerns cited by respondents were access to affordable food (24%), fighting illegal drugs (16%), fulfilling the promise to lower rice prices (14%), creating more jobs (14%), providing assistance to the poor (10%) and reducing taxes (10%).

Health still top personal concern

On the personal level, staying healthy and avoiding illness remained Filipinos' foremost concern, cited by 65% of respondents, although this was slightly lower than the 67% recorded in March.

Having enough food every day followed at 47%, while having savings and securing a stable, well-paying job were tied at 41%.

The survey also found 38% prioritized finishing school or providing education for their children, followed by owning a house and lot (36%) and avoiding becoming a victim of serious crime (32%).

"Taken together, the results indicate that while the sharpest edge of inflation-related concern has eased, cost-of-living and governance issues continue to shape Filipinos' national outlook, while health, food security, and financial resilience remain the primary personal concerns of Filipino households," OCTA said.

Survey conducted amid political, economic developments

OCTA noted that the survey was conducted from July 4 to 11, a period marked by major political and economic developments. However, it warned against drawing direct links between those events and public opinion.

"Although the survey does not establish causal relationships between these events and public opinion, it is important to situate the findings within their broader national and international context," it said.

The survey fieldwork coincided with the opening of the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on July 6 and the arrest of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on plunder charges involving alleged undeclared campaign contributions.

Respondents were likewise interviewed as fuel prices increased following the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, electricity rates went up and the June inflation report was released.

OCTA said the rise in concern over corruption came as public attention focused on governance issues.

"The rise in concern over graft and corruption, which moved corruption into third place nationally, coincides with heightened media coverage of the flood-control-fund scandal, the opening of the Vice President's impeachment trial, and the arrest of a sitting senator on plunder charges. This timing may include, but is not limited to, these developments as contributing factors; the survey cannot confirm that any one of them specifically drove the shift," it said.

The independent, non-commissioned survey interviewed 1,200 Filipinos aged 18 and above through face-to-face interviews nationwide. It has a ±3 percentage point margin of error at the 95% confidence level.

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