More than a third of Filipinos want the national government to prioritize lowering food prices, according to a Pulse Asia survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group, released as inflation climbed to its fastest pace in more than three years.

The survey, released on Friday and based on interviews with 2,400 respondents nationwide from Sept. 17 to 23, found that 35% of Filipinos said the government should make food — particularly rice, meat and fish — more affordable. That figure rose five percentage points from 30% in July, though it remained below the 41% recorded in March.

The finding is consistent with another result from the same survey: 71% of Filipinos want the Marcos administration to bring inflation under control. Consumer price growth accelerated to 7.2% in September, its highest level in over three years.

Beyond food prices — the most frequently cited priority in the poll — about 26% of respondents urged the government to create more jobs and livelihood opportunities, 24% called for the eradication of corruption to improve the delivery of public services, and 15% sought more accessible education and health-care services.

Victor Andres "Dindo" C. Manhit, chief executive officer of the Stratbase Group, said the findings show the government should make addressing the rising prices of basic goods a priority if it wants to regain credibility and public trust.

He cited a separate Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, also commissioned by Stratbase and conducted from Sept. 21 to 27, which found that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s trust rating inched up to 36% from 34% in June, while Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio's trust rating remained relatively steady at 56%, compared with 57% in June.

"The public has been consistently telling the government what matters most to them: the rising cost of basic goods and the ability to make ends meet," Mr. Manhit said in a statement.

"If the administration wants to rebuild public trust, it has to address these everyday concerns and deliver results that Filipinos can actually feel in their homes and communities," he added.

Concern over food prices was most pronounced among Class E respondents, the poorest socioeconomic group, where 55% identified affordable food as their top concern — up 11 percentage points from July and the highest food-price reading recorded across the survey's demographic and regional breakdowns, according to the report. The figure stood at 34% among Class D respondents and 26% among those in Class ABC.

By region, concern over food prices was highest in the National Capital Region at 43%, followed by Luzon at 36%, Mindanao at 34% and the Visayas at 31%.

Concern over jobs and livelihood opportunities fell to 26% from 28% in July, while calls for the government to reduce or eliminate corruption declined to 24% 28% in July and 31% in December 2025. Despite the decline, corruption remained the third most cited concern nationwide, with 30% of respondents in the Visayas and 27% in the National Capital Region identifying it as a key issue.

Meanwhile, only 15% of respondents identified improving access to education and health-care services as a government priority, up one percentage point from July.

Mr. Manhit said the results underscore the need for the government to ensure that its efforts to address corruption, create jobs and improve public services translate into lower costs, higher incomes and more secure livelihoods for Filipino families.

The food-price figure has now swung from 41% in March to 30% in July and back to 35% in September, making subsequent Pulse Asia rounds a potential gauge of whether the latest rise in concern holds.

The latest Pulse Asia survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group has a margin of error of +/-2%.

— Edg Adrian A. Eva