NEARLY half of Filipinos consider controlling inflation or the prices of basic goods and services as the most urgent national concern in the first quarter of 2026, according to a survey by OCTA Research.
The survey, conducted from March 19 to 25, found that 45 percent of the respondents pointed to inflation as their biggest concern, an increase of 4 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2025.
The second most urgent concern at 33 percent is increasing wages of workers, down 12 percentage points from the previous quarter, when it topped the list.
Fighting graft and corruption in government came in third at 26 percent, a 6 percentage points drop, and access to affordable food such as rice, vegetables and meat at 24 percent.
Other notable concerns include reducing poverty (20 percent) and providing free quality education (17 percent).
OCTA noted that the findings reflect sentiments before the oil price shock due to the war in the Middle East set in. It said the findings should be understood as a pre-shock baseline that captured public sentiment before high costs exerted pressure on household welfare, purchasing power and food security.
Inflation is the highest concern among respondents in the Visayas (54 percent) and Mindanao (51 percent), as well as for socioeconomic Class E (56 percent) and ABC (54 percent).
Wages are also among the highest concern among respondents in the Visayas, the National Capital Region and Mindanao, with Visayas respondents the highest at 46 percent.
NCR respondents are worried most about corruption in government (36 percent), while food affordability is the biggest concern in the Visayas (32 percent).
OCTA said the results suggest that public sentiment in the first quarter of 2026 are being shaped primarily by economic strain and the rising cost of living.
“Inflation has once again emerged as the dominant national issue, indicating that day-to-day affordability has become the most immediate pressure facing Filipino households,” it said.
It also noted that public concern has shifted away from longer-term structural issues such as education and poverty, and toward more immediate cost-of-living pressures, particularly inflation and purchasing power of income.
Meanwhile, 67 percent of respondents said staying healthy is their most urgent personal concern, followed by having enough to eat daily (46 percent), having a secure and well-paying job (42 percent), having able to have savings (41 percent), and finishing schooling or being able to provide schooling for children (39 percent).
The survey polled 1,200 respondents and has a nationwide margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.
