17.6% Pinoy families experienced involuntary hunger —SWS

At least 17.6% of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger or being hungry and not having to eat in the second quarter of this year, the latest survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The SWS poll, conducted last June 23 to July 1, also revealed that the 17.6% who experienced involuntary hunger was up from 14.2% in March.

This means that the 2024 two-quarter hunger average of 15.9% was 5.2 points above the 2023 annual hunger average of 10.7%, and the highest since the 2020 annual hunger average of 21.1% amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Metro Manila with worst hunger experience

Metro Manila accounted for the highest percentage of involuntary hunger experience with 20%, a slight increase from 19% in March.

This was followed by Balance Luzon at 19.6%, Mindanao at 15.7%, and Visayas at 13.7% .

The biggest increase in hunger incidence, however, was recorded in Mindanao which went up to 15.7% from 8.7% in March.

Hunger incidence among Filipino families in Balance Luzon also jumped to 19.6% from 15.3% in March.

The percentage of hungry Filipino families in Visayas, on the other hand, slightly went down to 13.7% from 15% in March.

Of the 17.6% Filipino families who experienced involuntary hunger, 12.8% had moderate hunger, while 4.9% had severe hunger.

Moderate hunger refers to those who experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months.

Meanwhile, severe hunger refers to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the same period. 

Moderate hunger incidence in Filipino families at 12.8% is almost the same as the March figure of 12.2%, while severe hunger rose by 2.9% from 2% in March.

The non-commissioned Second Quarter 2024 SWS poll used face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults aged 18 years old and above nationwide. Of this number, 600 are in Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila) while 300 respondents were taken in each of Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

The sampling error margins are ±2.5% for national percentages, ±4.0% for Balance Luzon, and ±5.7% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

The area estimates were weighted by the Philippine Statistics Authority medium-population projections for 2024 to obtain the national estimates.—AOL, GMA Integrated News