MANILA, Philippines — Anti-poverty and youth-oriented blocs are leading voter preferences in the party-list race ahead of the 2025 midterm elections, according to the latest Stratbase-SWS survey.

SWS reported Thursday that the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) party-list, which represents beneficiaries of the government’s cash subsidy program, topped the list with 8.08 percent of intended votes, enough to secure three guaranteed seats in the House of Representatives.

Close behind is the Duterte Youth party-list, which garnered 7.32 percent of the vote, also positioning it for three congressional seats. Both groups surpassed the 6 percent threshold required for the maximum seat allocation under the party-list system.

The survey, conducted from April 11 to 15 through face-to-face interviews with 1,800 registered voters nationwide, showed a continuing trend of support for sectoral groups aligned with social welfare and nationalist platforms.

Meanwhile, Asenso Pinoy received 4.08 percent, entitling it to two guaranteed seats as it crossed the 4 percent mark.

The polling firm also noted several other groups are poised to earn one seat each for reaching at least 2 percent of party-list votes:

• ACT-CIS – 3.55 percent
• FPJ Panday Bayanihan – 3.51 percent
• Tingog – 3.02 percent
• Senior Citizens – 2.55 percent
• Ako Bicol – 2.34 percent
• Notably, Tingog — previously at 1.95 percent in March 2025 — showed a boost in voter preference, climbing past the 2. Percent threshold needed for congressional representation.

Party-lists that received less than 2 percent of intended votes are unlikely to gain any seats under the current apportionment rules.

Survey methodology

The Stratbase-SWS April 2025 National Survey used standard face-to-face interviews, with a sample size distributed across key areas: 300 in Metro Manila, 900 in Balance Luzon, 300 in the Visayas, and 300 in Mindanao. The national margin of error is ±2.31 percent, with area-specific margins of ±3.27 percent for Balance Luzon, and ±5.66 percent for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

The polling firm likewise said that respondents were handed a mock ballot inside an envelope to privately shade their choice of one party-list group, simulating actual election conditions.