THE UNIVERSITY of Mindanao-Institute of Popular Opinion (UM-IPO) conducted an online survey from Jan. 9-26, 2026, targeting 1,200 Davaoeños from the three districts to describe their satisfaction with the basic services provided by the City Government of Davao.
The survey measured Davaoeños` perception by asking whether they were satisfied, not satisfied, or undecided regarding the services they had availed.
Since the survey was done online via sponsored ads on three Meta platforms (Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram), IPO relied heavily on online, pre-defined, targeted social media users, such as Davaoeños, who met the inclusion criteria and are targeted for contact within the defined geographical radius.
Respondents were defined to be at least 18 years old, have valid/ active email addresses, and have availed the city’s services within the past six months. The survey was done at a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error.
When asked about their satisfaction with the basic services of the City Government of Davao (see Table 1), Public Safety and Security (911) received the highest net satisfaction score of 91.4% followed by the Peace and Order with a satisfaction net score of 87.0%.
This indicates that Davaoeños recognize the effectiveness of emergency response and law enforcement services of the City. Similarly, among the top five basic services are those directly supporting education and social welfare, such as Davao City Library Services (71.8%), Bus System (65.2%), and Cedula Application (63.1%).
Also, health programs such as Lingap Program (60.0%), support services to PWDs (58.7%), and medical and health services (56.5%) were among the basic services that received a higher positive satisfaction net score.
Meanwhile, helpdesk response to online complaints (52.2%), waste management and sanitation services (52.2%), education support – scholarships for Davao youth (47.8%) and building permits (43.5%) were among the mid-tier services.
On the other hand, business permit and licensing (37.0%), livelihood assistance (37.0%), professional tax receipts (34.7%), and support service to OFWs (32.7%) received the lowest positive net satisfaction score.
Notably, the traffic management system stands out with a negative net satisfaction score of 19.5%, attributed to a majority of residents (54.3%) reporting dissatisfaction. This finding is particularly timely, as traffic congestion remains a perennial issue confronting the City.
When asked about their satisfaction with the courtesy and professionalism of the City personnel, the City obtained a 62.9% net satisfaction score, implying that 6 of every 10 Davaoeños expressed satisfaction with the behavior of the City personnel (refer to Table 2).
When asked about the basic services that need significant attention for improvement (refer to Table 3), traffic management systems emerged as the topmost concern that needs improvement as perceived by Davaoeños, highlighting persistent issues, particularly among students and workers who reported arriving late to school or work due to inefficient signal timing and congestion.
Also, the medical and health services were noted as services offered that need greater improvement, pointing to a manifestation of additional service availability to better accommodate the growing demand.
Also, the education support service, such as scholarships, was perceived as needing improvement in terms of providing more slots and greater inclusivity to allow more qualified Davaoeño youth to benefit from educational assistance.
