MANILA — Self-rated poverty among Filipino families slightly declined from 37 percent to 35 percent prior to a global oil price shock linked to tensions in the Middle East, according to an OCTA Research survey.

The findings were based on the Tugon ng Masa survey conducted from March 19 to 25, 2025, and reflected data from the first quarter of 2026.

OCTA estimated that about 9.2 million families considered themselves poor during the period, lower than the 9.8 million recorded in December 2025.

“While this suggests that roughly 600,000 fewer families considered themselves poor during the quarter, the difference is not statistically significant and remains within the survey’s margin of error, indicating that overall poverty conditions remained broadly stable,” OCTA said.

The survey also found that 24 percent of respondents identified as “not poor,” while 41 percent said they were unsure of their economic status.

Regionally, self-rated poverty was highest in Mindanao at 56 percent, followed by the Visayas at 44 percent.

By socioeconomic class, 58 percent of Class E households considered themselves poor, compared with 35 percent among Class D and 15 percent among Class ABC.

OCTA said the results highlight the continued concentration of poverty among lower-income groups despite relatively stable national figures.

“Taken together, the slight national decline in self-rated poverty may suggest a modest improvement in overall economic conditions,” the group said.

“However, the contrasting regional trends point to an uneven recovery, with gains concentrated in NCR and parts of Mindanao while other areas experienced setbacks. The persistently high poverty rates in Mindanao and among lower-income groups further indicate that many households remain economically vulnerable,” it added.

Food poverty also slightly increased from 30 percent to 31 percent, equivalent to about 8.1 million families.

Self-rated hunger was recorded at 17 percent, or around 4.5 million families, slightly higher than the 16 percent, or 4.2 million families, reported in December 2025 who said they experienced hunger at least once.

The non-commissioned survey covered 1,200 adult respondents through face-to-face interviews, with a ±3 percent margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level.