SWS poll: About half disagree people into drugs cannot change

By Arjay L. Balinbin

ABOUT half of Filipinos disagree that persons who use drugs or are involved in the illegal drug trade do not have the capacity to change anymore, the latest snapshot of the Third Quarter Social Weather Survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The noncommissioned survey, conducted September 23-27, found that 51% disagree (28% strongly disagree, 23% somewhat disagree) with the statement, “Persons who use drugs or are involved in the illegal drug trade do not have the capacity to change anymore,” while 28% agree (13% strongly agree, 15% somewhat agree), and 20% are undecided, giving a net agreement score (% agree minus % disagree) of a moderately weak -23.

SWS terminology for Net Agreement: +50 and above, “Extremely Strong”; +30 to +49, “Very Strong”; +10 to +29, “Moderately Strong”, +9 to -9, “Neutral”; -10 to -29, “Moderately Weak”; -30 to -49, “Very Weak”; -50 and below, “Extremely Weak.”

The survey also found that almost half of respondents at 42% (23% strongly disagree, 19% somewhat disagree) disagree that “it is right that persons who use drugs or are involved in the illegal drug trade are killed,” while 39% agree (20% strongly agree, 19% somewhat agree), and 18% are undecided, leading to a net agreement score of a neutral -3.

Moreover, over three out of five or an estimated 65% adult Filipinos (46% strongly disagree, 19% somewhat disagree) disagree with the statement that “it is right for policemen to be given cash rewards for every person they kill who are allegedly using illegal drugs or involved in the illegal drug trade,” while 15% agree (5% strongly agree, 10% somewhat agree), and 20% are undecided, giving a net agreement score of -50, classified by SWS as extremely weak.

BY AREA
Net agreement that persons who use drugs or are involved in the illegal drug trade do not have the capacity to change anymore was lowest in Mindanao at a moderately weak -28 (22% agree, 50% disagree), followed by Metro Manila at a moderately weak -26 (30% agree, 56% disagree), Balance Luzon at a moderately weak -25 (28% agree, 53% disagree), and Visayas at a neutral -8 (35% agree, 43% disagree).

Net agreement that it is right that persons who use drugs or are involved in the illegal drug trade are killed was neutral in all areas, SWS noted. It was +3 (41% agree, 38% disagree) in Mindanao, net zero (40% agree, 40% disagree) in the Visayas, -1 (44% agree, 45% disagree) in Metro Manila, and -8 (37% agree, 45% disagree) in Balance Luzon.

For the statement that “It is right for policemen to be given cash rewards for every suspected drug user/drug pusher they kill,” the net agreement was lowest in Metro Manila, at an extremely weak -58 (15% agree, 73% disagree), and Balance Luzon, also an extremely weak -58 (12% agree, 69% disagree, correctly rounded). Visayas had a very weak -40 (19% agree, 59% disagree), and Mindanao, a very weak -39 (17% agree, 56% disagree).

SATISFACTION
Public satisfaction with the national administration’s campaign against illegal drugs, with President Rodrigo R. Duterte, and with the overall national administration “did not vary by people’s agreement or disagreement that persons who use drugs or are involved in the illegal drug trade do not have the capacity to change anymore,” SWS said.

(The SWS terminology for Net Satisfaction [% satisfied minus % dissatisfied] ratings: +70 and above, “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”, +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; -70 and below, “execrable”).

Net satisfaction with the national administration’s campaign against illegal drugs (very good +56), with Mr. Duterte (good +32), and with the overall national administration (good +49) tend to be lower among those who disagree that it is right that persons who use drugs or are involved in the illegal drug trade are killed, compared with those who agree (very good +69, very good +62, and very good +68, respectively) and were undecided (very good +66, very good +52, and very good +56, respectively), the polling group also noted.

Net satisfaction with Mr. Duterte (good +44) and with the overall national administration (very good +54) tend to be slightly lower among those who disagree that it is right for policemen to be given cash rewards for every suspected drug user/drug pusher they kill, compared with those who agree (very good +61 and excellent+71, respectively) and were undecided (very good +50 and very good +60, respectively).

SWS also found that public satisfaction with the national administration’s campaign against illegal drugs hardly varied by people’s agreement or disagreement that it is right for policemen to be given cash rewards for every suspected drug user/drug pusher they kill.

The survey had face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults nationwide, 600 in Balance Luzon and 300 each in Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao — with sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for Balance Luzon, and ±6% each for the other three areas.

Meanwhile, Mr. Duterte on Tuesday night said he will award “with medals” the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) if it “can improve the overall picture of law and order” without police assistance.

But “if it’s worsened, tingnan natin (let’s see). Then, sabihin ko, mag-petition muna tayo doon sa Human Rights kung anong magagawa nila,” he said upon arriving in Davao City Tuesday night from his working visit in Japan. (Let’s petition first the [Commission on] Human Rights to see what they can do.) — with Rosemarie A. Zamora