A September 17 to 20 survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) found out an overwhelming majority of Filipinos continued to experience stress due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Eighty-six percent of the 1,249 working age Filipino respondents say they are stressed by the Covid-19 pandemic.  About 58% said they felt “great stress”.  This is seven points higher than the findings in the July survey conducted by SWS.

Fifty-eight percent who were jobless and 58% of those who were employed experienced “great stress”.

Out of the respondents who experienced “great stress,” 69% experienced hunger.

Stress was recorded highest in the Visayas (64%), Balance Luzon (58%), Mindanao (55%) and Metro Manila (53%).

The survey was conducted when most parts of the country were already under the more relaxed modified general community quarantine.

The survey conducted via mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone interviewing, had a sampling error of ±3% for national percentages, ±6% for Metro Manila, ±5% for Balance Luzon, ±6% for the Visayas, and ±6% for Mindanao.  Rommel F. Lopez