82% of Filipinos believe 2022 elections credible, faster —Pulse Asia survey

Eighty-two percent of adult Filipinos believe that the result of the May 2022 elections is accurate and credible, according to a Pulse Asia survey.

According to the Ulat ng Bayan survey released on Monday, 82% said they have “big trust” that the results were accurate and credible, and 4% said they have “small trust” or did not trust the results, while 14% were undecided.

For those that answered they had big trust in the elections, the survey, commissioned by Stratbase ADR Institute, shows that trust was most pronounced in Mindanao at 97% and least in Luzon at 73%.

The survey was conducted from June 24 to June 27 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adult Filipino adults nationwide. It has an error margin of ±2.8% for national percentages and ±5.7% for Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

VCMs

Meanwhile, 89% of adult Filipinos were satisfied with the use of vote-counting machines, 4% were dissatisfied, and 7% could not say if they were satisfied or dissatisfied.

“In particular, majorities in the Visayas and Mindanao are very satisfied with the automated voting system while most of those in the rest of Luzon are somewhat satisfied with the same,” Pulse Asia said.

Also according to the survey, 95% of respondents also found it very easy or easy to use the VCMs, 1% found it difficult, another 1% said there was a problem feeding the ballot, and 3% said they could not say if it was easy or difficult.

Eighty-nine percent, meanwhile, expressed a preference for automated elections in the future, 4% said no, while 7% were undecided.

2022 vs. 2016 polls

In a webinar, Pulse Asia president Ronald Holmes also showed that 39% of Filipinos believe that there is less cheating in the recent elections compared to the 2016 elections.

“With respect to the presence of cheating, a polarity felt that there was less cheating in the 2022 elections… although the figure is slightly lower in the Visayas at 29% and higher in Mindanao at 47%,” he said.

Meanwhile, 16% said there was cheating in the 2022 elections but it was “considered little or insignificant,” 5% said there was more cheating in the recent elections, while 33% were undecided.

Results also showed that 86% of respondents said the speed of counting in the recent elections was faster than in the 2016 elections.

Sixty-seven percent, meanwhile, found that the results were more credible compared to the previous election, 18% found it to be as credible as before, while 6% said it was less credible.

“That’s about 8 out of 10, more than 8 out of 10 Filipinos saying the results were credible. Although the credibility of results, still a majority, but it is lower in the Balance of Luzon," Holmes said.

“We see a lower figure posted in terms of the belief on the credibility of the elections, of the results of the elections, coming from Region V, which is the Bicol Region,” he added.

Meanwhile, 41% disagreed that discussion of important issues and programs in the elections was more lacking than in the previous elections.

Another 41% also disagreed that the most influential media practitioners in the country were not fair in their reporting of the campaign and counting in the last elections.

Results show that another 41% agree that the last election heightened the divisions in our society. —KBK, GMA News