October 21, 2025
MANILA – Public concern over corruption now ranks second among the top concerns of Filipinos, based on a survey conducted by Octa Research.
The survey results released on Monday showed that concern over corruption rose from 13 percent in July to 31 percent in September.
READ: Most Filipinos mad, fearful due to PH corruption woes — Octa
According to Octa, this is the highest level of concern recorded for corruption and the first time it has entered the top five national issues in its surveys.
“The sharp rise in corruption concerns indicates a growing public demand for integrity and accountability in government, as Filipinos increasingly turn their attention from just economic concerns to issues of governance,” said Octa.
On the other hand, controlling the rising prices of basic goods and services remained the top national concern for Filipinos, being cited by 48 percent of survey respondents.
At third is access to affordable food such as rice, vegetables, and meat at 31 percent, followed by improving wages or salaries of workers at 27 percent, and reducing poverty at 23 percent.
Meanwhile, Octa also noted that the results showed that concern for employment dropped significantly from 26 percent in July to 19 percent in September.
“Once among the top five national concerns, employment has now receded in urgency, suggesting that fewer Filipinos view job creation as an immediate priority compared to earlier this year,” said Octa.
“This decline may reflect a perceived improvement in employment stability or a shifting public focus toward governance and anti-corruption issues following heightened political and media attention on government accountability,” it added.
In terms of personal concerns, the majority or 63 percent of Filipinos said staying healthy, affording daily food, and maintaining good education was their top concern.
The survey was conducted from September 25 to 30, 2025, through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adult male and female respondents.
It had a ±3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level—with a 95 percent confidence level and ±6 percent margin of error for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.