More Filipinos considered themselves poor in Q2 2026: OCTA
The latest Tugon ng Masa survey of OCTA Research has found that more Filipino families experienced hunger and viewed themselves as poor in the second quarter of 2026.
In the survey conducted from July 4 to 11, 2026, 39% of respondents rated themselves poverty-stricken, a 4% rise from March 2026, as reported by GMA News Online.
The March survey recorded about 9.2 million families rating themselves poor; by July, the number had risen to around 10.3 million families.
There was also an increase in self-rated hunger in the second quarter, from 17% in March to 21% in July. About 4.5 million Filipino families experienced hunger in March, and approximately 5.6 million went hungry at some point in July.
Respondents, however, reported that their experiences of hunger were not constant. Most, about 87%, said they felt hunger only a few times in the second quarter.
According to OCTA Research, residents in Mindanao, once again, reported the "highest levels of self-rated poverty and food poverty." Balance Luzon, or the entirety of the Luzon Island group excluding Metro Manila, saw the highest occurrence of hunger among the major areas.
"Across all three indicators, the burden remains substantially heavier among Class E households," OCTA wrote.
The firm interviewed 1,200 male and female adult respondents face-to-face, coming up with a survey that had a general ±3% margin of error with a 95% confidence level. For the National Capital Region, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the estimated margin of error was at ±6% at a 95% confidence level.
