Three out of four adult Filipinos said that the 1987 Constitution should not be amended now or at any other time, private pollster Pulse Asia said on Wednesday.

In its latest survey conducted earlier this month but was just released on Holy Week, Pulse Asia said three-fourths of the adult population (74 percent) said they do not see the need for charter change in the country.

Pulse Asia also noted that the resistance to amending the constitution at the national level increased by 43 percentage points in March this year from 31 percent last March 2023.

"This opinion is echoed by small to big majorities in the various areas and classes (69 percent to 82 percent and 58 percent to 80 percent, respectively)," Pulse Asia said in its corresponding report.

Pulse Asia also noted that eight percent of Filipino adults "do not see the need for charter change now but are open to it under the next administration," while another eight percent believe the 1987 Philippine Constitution "should be amended now."

Meanwhile, the private pollster mentioned six percent of Pinoy adults opposed constitutional amendments now but support it at some other time under the incumbent administration.

The remaining four percent, Pulse Asia said, remained undecided on the matter.

Opposition against Charter change is high in Mindanao, where 91 percent of respondents oppose it, followed by Luzon or areas outside of the National Capital Region (89 percent), Visayas (85 percent), and Metro Manila (81 percent).

Conversely, support for amendments is highest in Metro Manila (14 percent), followed by Visayas (15 percent), Mindanao (eight percent), and Balance Luzon (four percent).

The private pollster released its March 2024 results after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he wants to amend the economic clauses of the 1987 Philippine Constitution to facilitate increased foreign investment and, ideally, generate more employment opportunities.

Marcos clarified that the political aspects of the constitution, such as term limits, should be addressed at a later stage.

However, several critics warned that Marcos' action might result in the elimination of term limits, as presidents are presently restricted to a single six-year term in office.

Nearly half of Pinoys know little about 1987 Constitution

Meanwhile, Pulse Asia noted that almost half of Filipino adults – or 48 percent – know little about the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

"The amount of knowledge about the country’s charter is essentially unchanged between March 2023 and March 2024," Pulse Asia said.

The private pollster also mentioned that 27 percent of the adult Pinoys admit to having almost or completely no knowledge about the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

On the other hand, 22 percent of adult Filipinos admit they know enough about the Constitution, and 4 percent claim to know a great deal about the charter.

Pulse Asia conducted interviews with 1,200 Filipino adults, with 300 individuals sampled from each locality.

The polling organization stated that it maintains a margin of error of ± 2.8 percent at a 95 percent confidence level, and a margin of error of ± 5.7 percent for each of the areas surveyed.