Working Paper (2023-05)
15 Aug 2023 | Geoffrey M. Ducanes, PhD
Working Paper 2023-05
Identity, Policy Satisfaction, Perceived Character: What factors explain President Duterte’s popularity?
Geoffrey M. Ducanes, Steven Rood, PhD, and Jorge Tigno, DPA
Abstract
The persistently high satisfaction ratings of President Duterte, despite various perceived policy missteps, and in stark deviation from the pattern for previous Presidents, have puzzled pundits and scholars alike. Using three waves of the Social Weather Stations’ Social Weather Survey, and utilizing ordered logit regression, this study examines the extent to which identity 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. The study finds that identity factors, policy satisfaction, and perception of the President’s character all contribute to explaining his high satisfaction rating. Perception of the President’s character appears to be the most important in terms of predictive power and distinguishing those who are satisfied from those who are dissatisfied with the President.
Keywords: presidential satisfaction, identity, policy satisfaction, presidential character, Duterte
WP 2023-05.pdf