More clamor for funds for jobs

by Vanne Elaine Terrazola | March 23, 2016

There’s a big clamor for more government funding for the state to provide more job opportunities.

This was revealed in a Social Weather Stations (SWS) mobile survey which showed that 27 percent of voters believe that the government should allocate more funds to provide more jobs.

In the same survey, commissioned by TV5 and released the other day, voters also sought more government funds for education (25 percent) and anti-corruption programs (21 percent).

Other programs that deserve more funding are prevention of price increase (11 percent), food for the poor (6 percent), fighting crime (4 percent), health for all (3 percent), solving traffic (2 percent), defending Philippine territories (1 percent), and fighting rebellion (0.3 percent).

In Metro Manila, 33 percent of voters cited providing jobs as the government program that deserves additional funds the most, followed by education for the poor (20 percent), and fighting corruption (18 percent).

Education for the poor, meanwhile, topped the list in balance Luzon, with 27 percent of voters agreeing that it should be prioritized. This was followed by providing jobs and fighting corruption, both with 24 percent.

In the Visayas, providing jobs (29 percent) and education for the poor (25 percent) topped the list of programs that deserve additional funding. They are followed by fighting corruption (19 percent) and preventing price increase (14 percent).

In Mindanao, providing jobs (28 percent) and education for the poor (24 percent) were the two most preferred programs, followed by fighting corruption (17 percent), preventing price increase (14 percent), and food for the poor (10 percent).

More men than women also believe that providing jobs should be allotted more funds, with 28 and 27 percent, respectively.

Among men, education for the poor (27 percent) follows, then fighting corruption (20 percent). Twenty-four percent of women, meanwhile, recommend more funds for education for the poor (24 percent) and fighting corruption (22 percent).

The mobile survey was conducted on March 17, 2016. It asked, “All government programs need funds coming from taxes from citizens. In order to increase government funds, additional taxes are needed. In your opinion, which of the following programs deserve additional funds the most?”

The mobile survey, a “pioneering project” by the SWS and TV5 to rapidly survey opinions, asked a total of 1,200 registered voters through their mobile phones. Of the 1,200 voters, 858 or 72 percent responded to the survey, with 218 responding in Metro Manila, 195 in balance Luzon, 236 in Visayas, and 209 in Mindanao.

This gave sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages, ±6 percent in the Visayas, and ±7 percent in Metro Manila, balance Luzon, and Mindanao.

Source: www.mb.com.ph