A majority of adult Filipinos continue to distrust China, with sentiment worsening in the second quarter of 2026, according to a new survey by OCTA Research.
The survey released Wednesday showed that 64 percent of respondents said they distrust China, while only 14 percent said they trust the country. Another 21 percent were undecided.
The latest figure marked a nine percentage point increase from OCTA’s first quarter 2026 survey.
Conducted from July 4 to 11, the survey asked 1,200 adult Filipinos: “Overall, how much trust should the Philippines extend to China?”
Distrust remained the dominant sentiment across all socioeconomic groups, with 66 percent among Class ABC respondents, 63 percent among Class D, and 67 percent among Class E.
By age group, distrust was highest among respondents aged 18 to 24 at 73 percent. It was also high among those aged 65 to 74 and those aged 75 and above, both at 70 percent.
Across regions, Balance Luzon recorded the highest level of distrust toward China at 67 percent, followed by the Visayas at 63 percent, Mindanao at 62 percent, and the National Capital Region (NCR) at 59 percent.
“Although distrust is the dominant sentiment in all four areas, NCR records the highest proportion expressing strong trust at 13 percent, compared with only 1 percent in Balance Luzon, 2 percent in the Visayas, and 6 percent in Mindanao,” OCTA said.
The survey also showed similar views among urban and rural respondents, with distrust at 63 percent among urban residents and 65 percent among those in rural areas.
Both male and female respondents registered the same level of distrust at 64 percent.
OCTA conducted the survey with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
For regional estimates, the margin of error was plus or minus 6 percentage points for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Photo from Philstar
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