Perception Survey of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on Government and Civil Society 2015

The Perception Survey of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on Government and Civil Society is an annual survey conducted by the Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO). It started in 2014 as a means to gauge the satisfaction ratings of civil society leaders across the Philippines on the performance of the government and the CSO sector. It also looks into the trust levels of CSO leaders on different government positions and various civil society organizations.

The survey was conducted from October 2, 2015 to November 12, 2015. The questionnaire was divided into 6 parts with a total of 51 rating questions (See Annex 1). These were encoded to an online survey tool and the Google Forms link (http://goo.gl/forms/xVOxSbAlbu) was disseminated to CODE-NGO’s members and CSO partners. For those who were not able to respond online, the questionnaire was also printed and distributed during CSO gatherings within the survey period.

Out of the 228 returns, 60% of the respondents were from the member networks and member base organizations of CODE-NGO, while 40% came from CSOs outside of the CODE-NGO network. All 18 regions of the Philippines were represented, with a third (33.3%) of the respondents coming from the National Capital Region (NCR). A 5-point scale was used to rate the perception questions:

Since the survey has been running for two (2) years, the 2015 results will be compared to the 2014 results where necessary. There were a total of 117 respondents in 2014, also across CSOs in the Philippines. The data is presented according to the sections in the questionnaire.

Satisfaction with the National and Local Government

In general, the respondents gave a neutral to satisfied ratings with the national government with a mean score of 3.24. This was higher compared to the satisfaction with the local governments which was at 2.96.

Among the identified capabilities of the national government, respondents were most satisfied with Engaging and empowering the citizenry (3.15) and least satisfied with the Services of the employees (2.95). With the local governments, the respondents were also most satisfied with Engaging and empowering the citizenry (2.89), and was least satisfied with Intensifying anti-corruption efforts (2.56).

In 2014, the satisfaction with the national (3.20) and local (2.95) government was a little lower than in 2015. In terms of the identified capabilities of the national and local government, the respondents were also most satisfied with Engaging and empowering the citizenry (3.04 and 2.80, respectively). The least satisfaction was also with Services of the employees (2.65) for the national government and with Intensifying anti-corruption efforts (2.37) for the local governments.

Trust Level with Government Officials and Institutions

Among the government officials, the trust level was highest for the President (3.63), while it was lowest for the Vice-President (2.03).

In 2014, the highest trust level was also for the President (3.50) and lowest for the Vice-President (2.03).

Among different institutions, the trust level was highest for NGOs (3.99), while it was lowest for Political parties (2.55).

In 2014, the highest trust level was also for NGOs (3.90) and lowest for the media (3.09).

Across all government officials and institutions, the respondents trust the NGOs (3.99), Churches (3.85), and Charitable organizations (3.84) the most. On the other hand, they were least trusting with the Vice-President (2.03), Political parties (2.55), and Congresspersons (2.62).

In 2014, the highest trust levels were given to NGOs (3.90), Women’s organizations (3.82), and Charitable Organizations (3.79). Lowest trust levels were also for the Vice-President (2.03), Political parties (2.29), and Congresspersons (2.43).

Perception on Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)

Among several dimensions, CSOs’ good perception was highest for Organizational capacity (3.61). This may include strong CSOs’ constituencies, clearly defined strategic plans and good internal governance/ management structures, adequate human resources practices and office equipment.

On the other hand, the respondents did not quite perceive that the legal/ policy environment in general (3.29) and in particular to encourage philanthropy was good (3.27). The former includes policies/laws on CSO registration, operations, reporting and tax treatment, and government support to CSOs. The latter includes individual and corporate donations to CSOs (that is, NGOs, POs, cooperatives, associations and other non-profit and non-government groups).

The respondents found the government regulation and oversight of CSOs to be in between inadequate and sufficient (2.82).

For both national (3.32) and local (3.24) governments, the respondents felt that CSOs had less than significant influence over the policies, programs and projects of the government. The same was true in 2014.

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