Only 13% Say Arroyo's SONAs 'Truthful': Pulse Asia

MANILA, Philippines (ABS-CBN / July 24, 2008) - President Arroyo's State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday will get wide media mileage but whether the public believes what she says during this big annual event is another story.

According to a July 1 to 14 Pulse Asia survey released Thursday, there is "much skepticism...as regards the truthfulness" of President Arroyo's SONAs.

Among those aware (60%) of the SONAs, "a big plurality (46%) nationwide believes these SONAs had not been truthful, with another almost equally large number (41%) being undecided as regards their truthfulness."

Only 13% nationwide said Arroyo's SONAs had been truthful.

Mindanao had the highest percentage of people who didn't believe in Arroyo's SONAs with a slight majority of 53% saying her SONA's were not truthful.

Urban Visayas registered the highest percentage of people who thought that Arroyo's SONA's were truthful with 21%.

In the various income groups, 49% in the poorest income group (E) said Arroyo's SONA's were untruthful; among the 'masa' (D), it was 46%, while among the upper- and middle-income groups, it was 41%.

In the age groups, older folks tend to be more doubtful of the SONA. In the 65 and up age group, 53% said Arroyo's SONA's were untruthful. In the youngest age group, 18 to 24, 33% said the SONA's were untruthful.

SONA 2008

On the truthfulness of Arroyo's SONA on Monday, Pulse Asia said "past patterns of public skepticism as well as outright disbelief regarding the truthfulness of President Arroyo's SONA carry over into present times."

A big plurality of 46% were undecided whether Arroyo's SONA next week will be truthful.
Forty percent said the SONA on Monday will not be truthful while only 14% said it would be truthful.

Over time, from July 2005 to July 2008, Pulse Asia said the "perception of untruthfulness for her past SONAs has suffered attrition which is critical precisely because only a small number of people (at best 18% in July 2005, now down to 13% in July 2008) hold this positive view."

"A marked, double-digit reductioin in public vacillation between July 2007 and July 2008 (from 52% to 41%) did not do President Arroyo much good as many among the undecided public apparently resolved their doubts in favor of a more negative assessment of her past SONAs," Pulse Asia said.

The July 1 to 14 survey was based on a multistage probability sample of 1,200 adults (18 years old and over). It has a plus/minus 3 percentage points error margin at 95% confidence level, the polling firm said.(ABS-CBN)