Pinoys demand action on education, healthcare after elections

Improving education, boosting agricultural support, and strengthening healthcare systems emerged as the top public priorities for the Senate and House of Representatives after the 2025 elections, according to the latest national survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) for Stratbase Consultancy.

The SWS survey, conducted from 2 to 6 May 2025 through face-to-face interviews with 1,800 registered Filipino voters nationwide, asked respondents to assess the degree of prioritization that the Senate and House should give to key national issues.

Senate priorities

Among the eight key issues presented, the strongest support was for improving access to education, with 87% of respondents saying this should be “definitely prioritized” by the Senate. Only 1% said it should “somewhat not be prioritized,” while just 0.3% said it should “definitely not be prioritized.”

This was followed closely by supporting agricultural development through subsidies, training, and market access, which 83% of respondents said should be “definitely prioritized.” The issues of affordable healthcare (82%) and expanding social welfare programs for low-income families (79%) were also ranked highly.

Job-related and economic policies likewise drew strong support. Promoting job creation through infrastructure, entrepreneurship, and small business support was “definitely prioritized” by 73%, while 74% backed increasing the minimum wage and 71% favored implementing price control measures. Rounding out the list was strengthening governance reforms, with 67% support for making government spending more transparent and accountable.

House of Representatives priorities

Results were similar for the House of Representatives, with slight differences in ranking.

Improving education access was once again a leading concern, with 86% of respondents urging the House to “definitely prioritize” reforms to public education, scholarships, and vocational training. Close behind were support for agricultural development (84%), affordable healthcare and stronger public health infrastructure (82%), and expanded social welfare programs (81%).

For economic measures, 80% supported raising the minimum wage, 78% backed price control efforts, and 76% wanted more government action on job creation. The lowest among the priorities — though still with a strong majority — was governance reform, which 72% said should be “definitely prioritized” by lawmakers.

Across all eight issues, less than 5% of respondents said any item should “definitely not” or “somewhat not” be prioritized, signaling widespread public agreement on post-election legislative focus areas.

Survey background

The Stratbase-SWS May 2025 National Survey was commissioned by the Stratbase Group and conducted through in-person interviews. Respondents were spread across Metro Manila (300), Balance Luzon (900), the Visayas (300), and Mindanao (300), with a national sampling error margin of ±2.31%.

According to SWS, the results reflect Filipinos’ post-election expectations for both legislative chambers, as well as key national concerns such as governance, economic stability, and social welfare. The survey also included separate questions on Vice President Sara Duterte, which were not disclosed in the initial release.