Pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS) cited former President Corazon Aquino’s role in restoring democracy that resulted to “open opinion polling,” as “people’s collective will” named her as the most important President of the postwar period.

SWS said Filipinos’ appreciation of Aquino’s efforts to restore democracy in the country was shown with the recent surveys making her the most popular president, based on public satisfaction with her performance while in office and public trust in her afterwards.

“Without freedom of expression, it would have been impossible for open opinion polling to grow and mature,” as read in a letter sent to the late President’s family by the SWS
board of directors, fellows, and staff members.

“Among Cory Aquino’s many great legacies to the nation, what is most significant for SWS is the political environment favorable for nurturing the means for scientific articulation of the people’s collective will,” it further stated.

In the SWS survey fielded over Feb. 20-23 among 1,200 respondents, 60 percent of Filipinos “have much trust” and 21 percent “have little trust” in former President Aquino.

This translates to a “good” net trust rating of +38.

SWS terminology for net trust ratings is as follows: +50 and above, "very good"; +30 to +49, "good"; +10 to +29, "moderate", +9 to -9, "neutral"; -10 to -29, "poor"; -30 to -49, "bad"; and -50 or lower, "very bad".

SWS said Mrs. Aquino’s net trust rating has been traditionally very positive, ranging from moderate +14 to very good +50 from September 1989 to September 2000.

It became mostly neutral between November 2000 and November 2002 before recovering to moderate +22 in March 2003.

Her net trust ratings has since been at level +20s and above, ranging from moderate +20 in November 2003 to her highest rating of very good +51 in March 2008.

The SWS survey found that trust in Mrs. Aquino is highest in Mindanao and classes ABC.

Public trust in her in Mindanao is at “good” net +49 (68 percent much trust, 19 percent little trust), followed by the Visayas, at "good" +37 (62 percent much trust, 25 percent little trust), rest of Luzon, at "good" +34 (55 percent much trust, 21 percent trust), and Metro Manila, at "good" +34 (55 percent much trust, 21 percent little trust).

Likewise, former President Aquino’s net trust rating is highest among the upper-middle classes ABC, at "good" +49 (62 percent much trust, 13 percent little trust), followed by class D or the masa, at "good" +38 (60 percent much trust, 21 percent little trust), and class E, at "good" +35 (59 percent much trust, 24 percent little trust).

As also shown in the survey results, public trust in Mrs. Aquino is higher among women, at "good" net +43 (62 percent much trust, 19 percent little trust), compared to men, at "good" +33 (57 percent much trust, 24 percent little trust).

Meanwhile, by age group, trust in the former President is stronger among 25-34, at "good" +46 (64 percent much trust, 18 percent little trust), 18-24, at "good" +45 (64 percent much trust, 19 percent little trust), and 35-44, at "good" +40 (60 percent much trust, 20 percent little trust), compared to 45-54, at "good" +31 (55 percent much trust, 25 percent little trust), and 55 and above, at "good" +30 (55 percent much trust, 25 percent little trust).

The survey used face-to-face interviews in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao with sampling margins of error of ±3 percent for national percentages and ±6 percent for area percentages.