91% of Pinoys approve of voluntary wearing of face masks but still prefer to use them outdoors —SWS

A large majority of adult Filipinos approve of the executive order allowing voluntary wearing of face masks, but most of them prefer to continue wearing masks, according to the results of the Fourth Quarter 2022 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. 

Among adult Filipinos, 91% approve of the directive issued on Oct. 28, 2022 by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The directive refers to Executive Order No. 7, "Allowing voluntary wearing of face masks in indoor and outdoor settings, reiterating the continued implementation of minimum public health standards during the State of Public Health Emergency relative to the COVID-19 Pandemic."

The Fourth Quarter 2022 SWS national survey was conducted from December 10 to 14, 2022 through face-to-face interviews with sample size of 1,200 nationwide with sampling error margin of ± 2.8%.

The percentage distribution of adult Filipinos who approve of EO No. 7 is as follows:

• 64% Strongly approve
• 27% Somewhat approve
• 4% Undecided
• 3% Somewhat disapprove
• 1% Strongly disapprove

Meanwhile, 54% say they will always use a face mask when leaving the house:

• 54% Always
• 22% Most of the time
• 15% Sometimes
• 8% Rarely
• 1% Never

On Total Filipino Household heads, 91% agree with the voluntary wearing of face masks for children in face-to-face classes:

• 65% Strongly agree
• 26% Somewhat agree
• 3% Undecided
• 3% Somewhat disagree
• 2% Strongly disagree

According to the data on Total Households with children attending face-to-face classes, 81% or 4 of 5 households say they will always make their child wear a face mask when going to school. Below is the breakdown of respondents' reactions:

• 81% Always
• 11% Most of the time
• 5% Sometimes
• 3% Rarely
• 0.5% Never

—BAP/KG, GMA Integrated News