NEARLY three in four Filipino adults prefer diplomacy over a show of force in dealing with China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea, even as public opinion remains sharply divided over the Marcos administration’s handling of the maritime dispute, a survey by Momentum Research found.
The August 2026 National Momentum Survey showed that 73.3 percent of respondents favored a more diplomatic approach, while 19.1 percent disagreed and 7.5 percent were undecided or declined to answer.
On the administration’s performance, 45.2 percent said the government was effectively handling tensions with China, while 45 percent disagreed. The remaining 9.8 percent were unsure or refused to answer.
The findings come amid heightened tensions over the West Philippine Sea, including Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan’s remarks that China could “easily win” a confrontation with the Philippines, which prompted the Department of Foreign Affairs to summon the envoy.
The survey also found that 56.8 percent of Filipino adults believe the Philippines is too dependent on other countries for protection against China. About a third, or 33.7 percent, disagreed, while the remainder were undecided or declined to answer.
On public information about developments in the West Philippine Sea, half of respondents said the information available was sufficient, while 39.2 percent said it was inadequate. Another 10.7 percent were unsure or declined to answer.
Support for diplomacy was evident across regions, political affiliations and generations, according to Momentum Research.
Metro Manila recorded the strongest preference for a diplomatic approach, at 86.9 percent, followed by Generation Z respondents at 79 percent and adults aligned with the opposition at 76.6 percent.
The survey also found differences in views of the administration’s handling of the dispute along political lines.
Among adults aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., 65.5 percent said the government was responding effectively.
In contrast, majorities of respondents aligned with former president Rodrigo Duterte, at 52.3 percent, and the political opposition, at 56.7 percent, said the administration was not handling the dispute effectively.
Respondents in Mindanao were also more likely to criticize the government’s response, with 46.4 percent saying it was ineffective and 35.8 percent saying it was effective. The rest were unsure or declined to answer.
On dependence on foreign protection, agreement was highest among opposition-aligned respondents at 71.2 percent, followed by adults in Metro Manila at 64.3 percent and Generation Z at 63.4 percent.
Momentum Research said the survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,487 Filipino adults nationwide from Aug. 18 to 23. It was non-commissioned and had a national margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
