MANILA – Nearly two-thirds of adult Filipinos distrust China, according to the latest OCTA Research survey released Wednesday, marking a nine-point increase from the first quarter of 2026.

The survey, conducted from July 4 to 11 among 1,200 adult respondents, asked: “Overall, how much trust should the Philippines extend to China?”

Results showed that 64 percent of respondents said they distrust China, while 14 percent expressed trust. Another 21 percent said they were undecided.

Across socioeconomic classes, distrust was highest among Class E respondents at 67 percent, followed by Class ABC at 66 percent and Class D at 63 percent.

By age group, Filipinos aged 18 to 24 posted the highest level of distrust at 73 percent, followed by respondents aged 65 to 74 and those 75 years old and above, both at 70 percent.

Geographically, Balance Luzon recorded the highest distrust rating at 67 percent, followed by the Visayas at 63 percent, Mindanao at 62 percent, and the National Capital Region (NCR) at 59 percent.

“Although distrust is the dominant sentiment in all four areas, NCR records the highest proportion expressing strong trust at 13 percent, compared with only 1 percent in Balance Luzon, 2 percent in the Visayas, and 6 percent in Mindanao,” OCTA said.

The survey also found that distrust toward China stood at 63 percent among urban respondents and 65 percent among rural respondents.

Both male and female respondents registered the same level of distrust at 64 percent.

The nationwide survey has a ±3 percentage point margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level. Subnational estimates for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao each have a ±6 percentage point margin of error at the same confidence level.