President Rodrigo Duterte and his war on drugs enjoy strong support from young Filipinos, but there is serious concern among them about extrajudicial killings and the violation of human rights, a new survey has shown.
According to a nationwide poll released by lobbying firm Publicus Asia on Friday, 82 percent of millennials approve of Duterte. The figure is even higher in Mindanao at 94 percent.
As much as 72 percent of millennials also reported they were satisfied with the government's anti-drug campaign.
In Mindanao, again, the result was even better at 86 percent. But dissatisfaction was highest in the National Capital Region (16 percent) and Southern Luzon (11 percent).
The survey, conducted online from November 5 to 12, polled 1,200 Filipinos aged 19-36 years old and living in urban areas. Publicus Asia co-founder Lilibet Amatong said in a briefing on Friday, these millennials comprised 44 percent of registered voters in the 2016 national elections, making it crucial to understand their attitudes toward political and social issues.
"They're very socially active in the sense that they get involved in things. They're not quiet…it's a strong force," Publicus Asia founder Malou Tiquia added.
The survey found 8 out of 10 millennials have been interested in politics since the election of Duterte.
Polled on hot-button topics, 18 percent of respondents believed the problem of extrajudicial killings is "serious."
Moreover, 36 percent said there was a "very serious" human rights problem in the country at the moment.
About 30 percent of them noted, though, that corruption has "decreased a lot" in the Duterte administration.
On the President's "crude language," 65 percent agreed it was "natural and honest." They also see him as a nationalist and a patriot (69 percent), and approve of his "no-frills lifestyle" (68 percent) as a public official.
Online media on top
Online media on top
To keep up to date with politics, 83 percent of millennials said they get their news from online sources.
They check the news more than once a day, with 84 percent using Facebook and 63 percent using search engines. About half looked for news from TV networks and their websites, while a third went to print media and their websites.
Among the traditional media, respondents ranked GMA (64 percent), CNN Philippines (61 percent) and ABS-CBN (56 percent) as the most credible news sources.
When millennials encounter fake news, only 6 percent said they "don't care." Half of respondents said they would share the news item and explain why it was fake. A fifth said they would point out that it was fake.
A third of young Filipinos said they have personally experienced trolling. Of those who haven't been trolled, half said they have witnessed it happen to others.
Only 51 percent of millennials said they took action when they experienced or witnessed trolling. Most of them reported the user or flagged the offensive content.
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