MANILA, Philippines — A majority of Filipino adults spent most of their expenses on rice in the past three months, poll firm Pulse Asias latest survey showed.

According to the survey conducted from September 10 to 14, 83% of Filipino adults spent their expenses on rice.

The percentage is higher than the 62% recorded in September 2022.

Over the recent months, both local and imported rice prices surged to as high as P60 per kilo. This surge prompted the government to implement price caps on regular-milled and well-milled rice.

The survey also showed that Filipinos increased their food expenditures in the past three months, while 61% of Filipino households spent on non-rice food items.

Pulse Asia published the study findings on the same day the Philippine Statistics Authority released the inflation report on Thursday. According to the report, the inflation rate for September 2023 quickened to 6.1% driven by food price hikes.

Meanwhile, aside from food items, Filipinos spent more on the following in the past three months, according to the survey:

Electricity: 62%

Gasoline/diesel: 22%

Medicine and other health needs: 17%

Water: 16%

LPG: 15%

Transportation: 13%

Cellphone load: 4%

Recreational expenses: 3%

Others: 3%

At the national level, there is an increase in the percentage of adults who spent more on food (+6 percentage points), specifically rice (+16 percentage points), while the reverse holds true in connection with spending on electricity (-6 percentage points), Pulse Asia said.

The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews which sampled 1,200 adults aged 18 years old and above.