Philippines, Manila – July 18, 2022 – Filipinos have spoken and what they said is this: we trust our elections and we want them to continue to be automated in the future. A nationwide survey by pollster Pulse Asia Research following the 2022 general election found that a remarkable 90% of Filipinos want authorities to continue using their automated election system for the country’s future elections.
After the 2022 National Elections, nearly 1,200 Filipinos were asked, “How big or small is your trust that the results of the 2022 elections were accurate and credible?” 83% of Filipinos who voted felt the results were credible compared to just 4% who did not. The highest rating was a whopping 92% among those aged 35 to 44 who voted.
Following the introduction of Smartmatic election technology to the Philippines in 2010, trust in elections has climbed to well over 80%. Prior to the introduction of the automated election system, trust in manual elections never exceeded 30%, well below the current levels of trust.
Results that once took weeks or months to be published are now announced within hours. Since Smartmatic automation was introduced, the country has seen candidate challenges and the amount of election-related violence plummet. According to the survey, the main benefits of election automation valued by Filipinos are faster results and better accuracy.
The Philippines is one of the top-rated countries in the world for citizens’ trust in their country’s elections. At 83% in the 2022 Pulse Asia survey, the Philippines would rank fourth just behind Finland, Norway and Sweden, which are at the top of a 2020 election integrity survey by Gallup. The Philippines would rate ahead of Switzerland, Germany and Canada based on their placement in the Gallup poll.
“While we are proud of our contribution to helping make the Philippine’s a model for election integrity in Southeast Asia, these results truly belong to COMELEC and the vision and dedication of its board,” said Antonio Mugica, CEO of Smartmatic.
