Controlling inflation remains the most urgent national concern of Filipinos, according to Pulse Asia Research's September 2026 Ulat ng Bayan survey.
Seventy-one percent of respondents named controlling inflation as an issue the national government must immediately address. It was the only concern cited by a majority of Filipinos among the 19 issues listed in the survey.
Top concerns
Controlling inflation: 71%
Fighting graft and corruption in government: 39%
Increasing workers' pay: 36%
Fighting criminality: 24%
Reducing poverty: 21%
Creating more jobs and fighting illegal drugs: 18% each
Reducing gasoline prices amid the energy crisis: 14%
Defending the country's territorial integrity, the welfare of overseas Filipino workers and preparing for terrorist threats were among the least cited concerns.
Shifts from a year earlier
Concern about inflation rose from a year earlier, with increases across all socioeconomic classes and notably in the rest of Luzon and in Mindanao. Concern about fighting corruption fell by 12 percentage points over the same period.
About the survey
Pulse Asia conducted face-to-face interviews with 2,400 adults aged 18 and above from September 17 to 24, 2026. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
