Neighborhood safety perceptions down to 72% – OCTA poll

MANILA, Philippines — A large majority of Filipinos reported feeling safe in their neighborhoods, although it went down by double digits in the latest survey conducted by the OCTA Research group.

From 87 percent in March 2023, the proportion of Filipinos who said they feel safe in their neighborhoods went down by 15 points to 72 percent in the survey conducted from July 4 to 11.

Those who felt unsafe in their neighborhoods increased from four percent to 12 percent, while undecided respondents rose from nine percent to 15 percent.

The poll also found significant declines among those who said they are not afraid to walk at night (from 81 percent to 68 percent) and those not worried about breaking into their homes (from 71 percent to 54 percent).

More Filipinos said they are afraid to walk at night (from 10 percent to 16 percent) and are worried about robbers breaking into their homes (from 12 percent to 21 percent).

“The largest changes are observed in Metro Manila. Agreement that residents feel safe in their neighborhood fell from 91 percent in March 2023 to 58 percent in July 2026, a 33-point decline,” OCTA said.

“Agreement on walking alone at night declined by 40 points, from 88 percent to 48 percent, while agreement on not being worried about home break-ins declined by 17 points, from 61 percent to 44 percent. Balance Luzon also records sizable declines,” it added.

The research group said the shifts could reflect a range of possible factors, such as greater exposure to news and social media coverage of crime, “which could shape perceptions somewhat independently of actual changes in risk.”

“Taken as a whole, these patterns suggest that public confidence in peace and order is likely shaped by more than crime levels alone, and may also reflect broader social and informational factors,” it added.

The survey had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus three percent for national percentages.