The paper begins by canvassing the extent to which the high ratings of President Rodrigo Duterte are surprising in the light of past evaluations of Presidents and current social and economic conditions. It then uses data from Social Weather Stations surveys across the years to trace the development of attitudes towards Duterte as candidate and president and the social bases of such support. By building on multiple surveys and multiple survey items, including attitudes towards the Drug War and the West Philippine Sea, the paper provides a data-based “thick” understanding of what is meant by “high ratings” and how such can be explained.
