The Third Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey (SWS) found 95% of adult Filipinos saying it is important for them that the police capture illegal drug suspects alive.
The survey was fielded on September 23-27, 2017,
The survey respondents were asked : How important is it to you that the police capture alive the suspects allegedly involved in illegal drugs?
The answers were to be picked from given choices:
Very important to you
Somewhat important to you
Somewhat not important to you
Not at all important to you
The responses tallied by SWS showed that 95% said it was important (76% very important, 19% somewhat important), and 5% said it was not (3% somewhat not important, 2% not at all important).
The dominant opinion in all areas was that it is important (% very important plus % somewhat important) that drug suspects are captured alive: it was 96% in both Metro Manila and Balance Luzon, and 94% in both the Visayas and Mindanao.
The respondents were also asked whether they believe that the police consider it important or not important to capture drug suspects alive: In the police’s fulfillment of their duty in the campaign against illegal drugs, in your opinion, how IMPORTANT IS IT FOR THE POLICE THAT THEY CAPTURE ALIVE the suspects allegedly involved in illegal DRUGS?
Some 77% said it was important (51% very important, 25% somewhat important, correctly rounded), and 23% said it was not (14% somewhat not important, 9% not at all important).
The proportion of those who believe that the police consider it important (% very important plus % somewhat important) to capture drug suspects alive was highest in Mindanao at 86%, followed by Visayas at 83%, Metro Manila at 77%, and Balance Luzon at 69%.
Pres. Duterte’s net satisfaction rating was at very good levels among those who believe that the police consider it very important (+54) and somewhat important (+50) to capture drug suspects alive.
Similarly, the National Administration’s net satisfaction rating was at very good levels among those who believe that the police consider it very important (+64) and somewhat important (+63) to catch drug suspects alive.
The Third Quarter 2017 Social Weather Report findings on public satisfaction with the performance of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and the overall National Administration were reported by SWS on October 8, 2017 and October 19, 2017, respectively.
The September 2017 survey on people’s opinion about the administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign was first reported by Vladymir Joseph Licudine, SWS Deputy Director for Survey Design, Analysis, and Training, in his public presentation, “What Filipinos Say About Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s Drug War,” held at the SWS Knowledge Center, Quezon City on October 11, 2017.
Survey Background
The September 2017 Social Weather Survey was conducted from September 23-27, 2017 using face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide, 600 in Balance Luzon and 300 each in Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao (sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for Balance Luzon, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao).
The area estimates were weighted by Philippine Statistics Authority medium-population projections for 2017 to obtain the national estimates.
The Social Weather Survey items on the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs are non-commissioned. They were included on SWS’s own initiative and released as a public service.
SWS employs its own staff for questionnaire design, sampling, fieldwork, data-processing, and analysis, and does not outsource any of its survey operations.
