MANILA — Bullying tops the list of reasons Filipino adults associate with the rise in school violence in the Philippines, with more than 3 in 4 (77.2%) identifying it as a key reason, according to the August 2026 issue of The National Momentum Survey.
The non-commissioned survey, conducted from August 18 to 23, also found that an overwhelming 93.2% of Filipino adults view school violence as a problem.
Concern is similarly widespread when Filipinos are asked about their own children’s exposure to school violence. Nearly all respondents (96.2%) say they are concerned, with 69% saying they are very concerned and 27.2% saying they are concerned.
The findings come amid heightened public and legislative attention to school safety following multiple school shootings, stabbing incidents, and bomb threats involving students across the country.
The Senate has also initiated a legislative inquiry to examine recent cases of school violence, the effectiveness of existing security measures, and possible steps to prevent similar incidents.
At the same time, the issue has extended beyond school security, with lawmakers and government agencies also looking into how access to firearms and children’s exposure to digital platforms may contribute to school violence.
What Filipinos think are the top reasons for school violence
When asked which among nine possible factors they consider reasons for the increase in violence in schools, 77.2% of Filipino adults identified bullying or bullying by fellow students, making it the most commonly cited factor (see Table 1).
This is followed by weak school security (38.0%), negative influences of social media, including violent content (36.3%), drug or alcohol use (33.7%), and easy access to firearms (19.2%). Mental health problems were the sixth most cited reason (18.2%).
Respondents were asked to choose up to three reasons.
What each generation thinks is the top reason for school violence
Views on school violence are broadly consistent across generations. Nearly all Filipino adults in every generation consider violence in school as a problem.
While bullying is also the top perceived reason for school violence across all four generations, the share citing it declines with age. About 83.6% of Gen Z Filipinos and 82.9% of Millennial Filipinos identify bullying as the top reason, compared with 70.3% of Gen X and 58.6% of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation.
Older generations are also somewhat more likely to point to drug or alcohol use as a factor in school violence. It ranks as the second most commonly cited reason among Gen X Filipinos (36.5%), and among Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation (33.5%).
For younger generations, the negative influence of social media and other violent content online ranks among the top three perceived reasons for the rise in school violence. It is the second most cited reason among Gen Zs (40.3%) and third among Millennials (41.7%).
Easy access to firearms is also cited more often among Gen Zs than by any other generation, with 26.8% identifying it as a factor. This compares with 17.2% of Millennials, 14.9% of Gen X, and 13.1% of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation.
Meanwhile, among Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation, the lack of guidance counselors (24.3%) and family problems (22.9%) also rank among the top five most commonly cited reasons for school violence.
Stronger school security, anti-bullying programs seen as top government priorities
When asked what the government should prioritize to address school violence, 3 in 4 Filipino adults say authorities should strengthen security in schools, making it the most widely supported intervention. This is followed by stronger anti-bullying programs at 53.7%.
Other priorities include improving mental health services in schools (30.4%), tighter monitoring of social media and online content (26.1%), and stricter enforcement of gun laws (26.0%).
The findings point to a two-pronged concern among Filipinos: while bullying is the leading factor they associate with rising school violence, school security remains the most immediate priority they believe the government should address.
These differences are also reflected in what generations want the government to prioritize. Stronger school security ranks first across all generations, with support highest among Gen Z at 81.6% and Millennials at 81.3%.
Millennials also show stronger support for anti-bullying programs at 63.7%, while Gen Zs place greater emphasis on mental health services in schools at 40%, at least a 10-percentage point difference compared with other generations.
Stricter enforcement of gun laws is also highest among Gen Zs, with a third of them (34.5%) saying the government should prioritize this to prevent more incidents of school violence.
For Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation, family and socioeconomic factors stand out as a more pressing concern in relation to school violence. Thirty percent favor greater government support for poor families, compared with 17.9% of Gen X, 15.4% of Gen Z, and 10.8% of Millennials.
Overall, the findings suggest that school violence is a shared concern across generations, even as Filipinos slightly differ in their perceived reasons and the interventions they believe the government should prioritize.
Conducted from August 18 to 23, the National Momentum Survey was carried out through face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,487 Filipino adults. It has a national margin of error of ±2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Subnational margins of error are ±6.9% for the National Capital Region, ±3.8% for the Rest of Luzon (North, South, and Central Luzon), ±5.8% for Visayas, and ±5.5% for Mindanao — all at a 95% confidence level. PR
