Regaining hopefulness

How do we bring back our collective sense of optimism?

- DR. JUN YNARES

This was the question asked me by our readers and our colleagues in the local government sector recently.The question was triggered by our column a couple of weeks ago, where we shared our view regarding the survey done by research organizations, including the Social Weather Station (SWS). The result of the surveys apparently showed that fewer Filipinos welcomed the year with a positive outlook, and that there was an increase in the number of our countrymen who began 2026 “with fear.”

Torecall, according to the SWS, some 89 percent of adult Filipinos looked forward to the New Year with hope instead of fear. This was the lowest level since 2009, the SWS said. It also reflected a one-point decline from 90 percent in 2024 and a seven-point decrease from 96 percent in 2023. This is supposedly the lowest level of optimism in 16 years since the 89 percent recorded in 2009.

In search of an answer to the question, we looked back to what happened in 2023 when nearly all Filipinos said they were hopeful that 2024 would be a better year. The record 96 percent marked in 2023 was obtained only twice before — in 2017 and 2019, according to the SWS.

The SWS survey of 2023 apparently did not probe the answers of the respondents. It didnot state the reason for the remarkable “optimism” displayed by those who were asked in the poll.