More than a fifth of Filipino families encountered “involuntary hunger” at least once in the past three months, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) found in September.
The SWS poll on self-rated hunger rose to 22.9% from 17.6% in June, and the highest since the 30.7% in September 2020.
Published on Thursday, Oct. 17, the survey said hunger percentages (a combination of moderate and severe hunger ratings) nearly doubled in the Visayas and Mindanao.
The SWS defines moderate hunger as those who experienced hunger only once or a few times in the last three months. Severe hunger means those who suffer from it often or always.
Around 30.7% of households in Mindanao indicated hunger in September from 15.7% in June, while it was around 26% in the Visayas from 13.7%.
There was also an increase in Metro Manila (21.7% from 20%) but a slight decline in Balanced Luzon (18.1% from 19.6%).
The survey said around 59% of Filipino families rated themselves as poor, 13% borderline, and 28% not poor.
It said 46% of families said they were food-poor, 17% food borderline, and 37% not food-poor.
Total hunger among self-rated poor climbed to 29.3% from 21.3%, as well as in self-rated food-poor to 34.5% from 23%.
The SWS interviewed 1,500 Filipino adults from Sept. 14 to 23 for its third quarter survey.
The pollster said sampling error margins were ±2.5% for national percentages, ±4.0% for Balance Luzon, and ±5.7% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
The questions were:
“Nitong nakaraang tatlong buwan, nangyari po ba kahit minsan na ang inyong pamilya ay nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain? (OO, HINDI)”.
