Ateneo City Wide Social Survey Series 3 On Environment

THE University Research Council through the Social Research Training and Development Office of Ateneo de Davao University has released the City-wide Social Survey Series 3 in a public forum, at the Finster Auditorium, recently.

The research’s data gathering done through face-to-face interview was done from May 11-17, 2015 covering three districts of Davao City. There were more than 600 respondents who participated in the survey which revolved on the following issues: Socio-demographic Profile, Health, Labor and Employment, Financial Situation, Wealth Creation, Economic Trends, Environment, K to 12, ASEAN Integration, Bangsamoro Basic Law, Current Events, Peace and Order, Social Inequality, Governance and Happiness.

SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

In terms of socio-demographic profile, majority of the respondents are married, Roman Catholics and with high literacy rate. Bisaya is the primary language and the majority ethnic affiliation is Bisaya. About 1/3 of the Davaoeños are attending religious services at least once a week. When asked regarding the impact of the Papal visit, majority say that they became “more prayerful” (District 1 – 31.4%, District 2- 27.3%, District 3- 27.9%) more caring, and started to attend mass more often.

ENVIRONMENT

ONLY thirteen percent experienced natural calamities with “flood” surfacing as the common type of disaster experienced by respondents. Among those who experienced natural calamities only 48% went to evacuation areas.

Those who did not evacuate believe it is not necessary to do so. Half of the respondents are aware of the early warning system, while the majority affirms that they are aware of disaster response system, and the designated officials responsible during calamities.

Only 36% have attended disaster preparedness / response trainings although majority report they will cooperate in local initiatives to address climate change. Davaoeños are satisfied on the performance of barangay officials, AFP, PNP, DSWD, city government, church, and private firms in times of disaster.

HOUSEHOLD AMENITIES AND FACILITIES

Majority of the households in Davao City have running water or piped water into their homes. The quality of water is good according to respondents. For few Davaoeños who still ,do not have running water into their homes, their source of water are spring, artesian, well, and pump.

In Davao City, 95% of the households have electricity. For the few who do not have electricity, they rely on kerosene, battery and other energy sources. As to the mode of communication, only few Davaoeños have telephone connection while majority have cell phones. Television ownership among Davaoeños is high and majority watch TV every day for more than three hours.

In terms of garbage disposal, majority affirm that they rely on city garbage collection. Other ways of garbage disposal according to the respondents are “composting” and “burning”. There are few who “recycle” their garbage.

More than half of the respondents own a personal computer, tablet and smartphone with internet connection. Ownership of two-wheeled private vehicle is dominant among Davaoeños with “jeepney” as the common mode of transportation.

HEALTH

Majority of Davaoeños consider themselves healthy due to reasons such as “absence of sickness”, having “peace of mind”, “contentment” and availability of “financial resources”. Community health was also seen as important and most Davaoeños consider their community healthy due to the “absence of conflict” and “cleanliness in the community” as the top reasons cited. In relation to health, the common illnesses are “arthritis”, “ulcer”, “UTI”, “kidney failure”, “pneumonia”, “dengue”, “cough”, “flu” , and “fever”. It is good to note that in terms of health-seeking behavior, majority consult their doctors.

However, about one-third self-medicate. On HIV awareness, majority say they are aware of the spread of AIDS-HIV and the television was cited as the common source of information on such matter.

LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

More than half of the Davao City residents are working and are mostly hired and self-employed. Majority are classified as service workers, shop and market sales workers. For those hired, they looked for additional past week due to limited income. Only few aspire to live abroad. The same pattern was revealed when they were asked whether they currently look for work abroad. Majority have OFW family members working mostly in Middle East.

The median family income of 10,000 pesos is commonly spent for food, education, and utilities. Majority agree there is a large income gap in the country. As to self-rated poverty, most Davaoeños report that they are “on the line” and generally did not experience hunger in the past three months.

FINANCIAL SITUATION, WEALTH CREATION, ECONOMIC TRENDS

Across three districts, many claim that their income is just enough to cover expenditures. Some resorted to various coping measures in order to increase income by “spending less”, having “extra work or sidelines”, and rendering “overtime”.

More than half believe that jobs will be available in the next 12 months and it is easier to find jobs in Davao City in the next 12 months. Overall, Davaoeños claim they enjoyed very big improvement on reads, bridges and canals, 911 services, and public school buildings. It is good to note also that Davaoeños have positive perceptions on the quality of life and the local economy in the next 12 months.

K to 12

Fifty-seven affirm they know K to 12 but only 50% understand the process of K to 12. Twelve percent report they have a family member who will be enrolling in Senior High School. The “Academic Track (31.6%)” and the “Tec-Voc Livelihood (26.6%)” surfaced as a common strands of choice. However, 34% of Davaoeños do not know yet which strand to choose. They are more likely to enroll in public schools.

Only 27%claim they will enroll their family member who will be in senior high in a private sectarian The perceived challenges of K to 12 implementation according to respondents are the following “additional cost to the family”, “more years added to schooling”, “selection of the K to 12 strand” and the “selection of the school where students can enroll”. However, despite those perceived challenges, majority have positive perceptions about the senior high school. Many believed that the senior high school can “prepare students when they enter college”, and “can increase the competitiveness of the students as they enter the workforce”. Furthermore, according to respondents, senior high school will “increase the employability of students” and “can help address job shortage.”

ASEAN INTEGRATION

Only 20% of the Davaoeños have heard of the ASEAN integration. Among the few who claim otherwise, they believe that ASEAN integration has good implications to Mindanao and we are ready for the ASEAN integration.

BANGSAMORO BASIC LAW

It is interesting to note that 68% of Davaoeños know the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). However, only 8.5% have read the BBL. The top three sources of information regarding the BBL are “television”, “radio”, and “newspaper”. Davaoeños showed their diverse views on the BBL. Forty percent say that “if BBL is passed, it will help in achieving peace in Mindanao” while forty-two percent says otherwise and 18% do not know. The perceptions of the Davaoeños show a seemingly divided posture taken by the respondents on the issues related to BBL. Forty-one percent (41%) agree that “if BBL is passed, Mindanao’s economy will improve”, while 41% say otherwise. Thirty-seven percent affirm that the “BBL is complaint with the 1987 Constitution” while 28% do not agree. Forty-four percent agree that “the BBL should be passed by the Congress before Pnoy’s administration ends, while 38% claim otherwise.

CURRENT EVENTS

Davaoeños were asked how important it is to understand current events. Majority affirmed that it is of great importance to understand the following issues: “Bangsamoro Basic Law”, “ASEAN Integration”, “Mamasapano Incident”, “Federalism”, “Spratly Island territorial dispute”, “Human Trafficking” and the “alleged corruption of VP Binay”.

PEACE AND ORDER

Davaoeños have their own perceptions of peace and order and what it means to them. Majority define peace and order as “absence of violent crimes, assaults and treats” as well as “absence of drugs and drug trafficking”.