Support for Democracy Declines Among Urban Filipinos

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

QUEZON CITY — A new survey by the Philippine Observatory on Democracy (POD) reveals waning support for democracy among urban Filipinos, reflecting a broader trend of democratic backsliding across Asia.

The survey, launched Tuesday, April 29, found that only 41% of urban Filipinos surveyed expressed a clear preference for democratic governance.

Meanwhile, 37% said they did not care whether the government was democratic or authoritarian, and 19% favored authoritarian rule under certain conditions.

Philip Arnold Tuaño, dean of the Ateneo School of Government, said the results show urban Filipinos are increasingly detached from democratic ideals.

He added that the findings mirrored similar studies across Asia, which showed general support for democracy but low commitment when it conflicted with economic or performance-based priorities.

“These findings point to a weakening attachment to democracy among urban Filipinos,” Tuaño said.

“They also confirm findings in other studies in Asia that while there is high general support for democracy as the best form of government, there is low commitment to it when it competes with economic priorities or regime performance,” he added.

Julio Teehankee, a political science professor at De La Salle University, said the results were consistent with trends in democratic sentiment observed over the years.

“If you trace all the surveys on democracy, not only in the Philippines but also in the region—like the Asia Barometer that’s been conducted for almost a decade—you’ll see the pattern,” Teehankee said.

Similar trends were also reflected in local surveys by Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia, he noted.

Only 31% of respondents said Philippine democracy meets their ideals, while 50% described it as far from ideal.

When asked to associate a word with democracy, respondents commonly mentioned “freedom,” “equality,” “peace,” and “government.”

However, negative perceptions were also present, with some linking democracy to “kaguluhan” or “chaos.”

“This reflects a deep gap between the democratic ideals Filipinos value and the lived political realities they experience,” Tuaño said.

The POD initiative is governed by a consortium composed of the Ateneo School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University, Ateneo de Davao University, Ateneo de Naga University, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues, and Samahang Lingkod ng Bayan.

Its aim is to deepen public understanding of how Filipinos view and experience democracy, and to develop innovative approaches to civic and political education.

The survey was conducted in partnership with polling firm WR Numero from Dec. 2 to 21, 2024, targeting Filipinos aged 18 and older in major urban centers: Metro Manila, Naga City, Cebu City, Cagayan de Oro City, Davao City, and Zamboanga City.

These cities were chosen as they host member institutions of the Jesuit-run consortium.

Tuaño said he hopes the results will encourage POD’s partner institutions to conduct more localized studies to deepen community-level political engagement.