Sociodemographic Factors, Policy Satisfaction, Perceived Character: What Factors Explain President Duterte’s Popularity?

The persistently high satisfaction ratings of President Rodrigo Duterte, despite various perceived policy missteps and in contrast to the pattern for previous Presidents, have puzzled pundits and scholars alike. Using three waves of the Social Weather Stations’ Social Weather Surveys, this article examines the extent to which sociodemographic factors, policy satisfaction, and perceptions of the character of the President could explain this ‘puzzle’. The three survey waves correspond to the beginning of President Duterte’s term, the period when he obtained his lowest net satisfaction rating, and the most recent available data at the time of this study. The study finds that sociodemographic factors, policy satisfaction, and perception of the President’s character all contribute to explaining his high satisfaction rating. Based on the most recent survey examined, perception of the President’s character appears to be the most important for distinguishing those who are satisfied from those who are dissatisfied with the President.