Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1418273
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 OCTOBER 2021 MALTATODAY SURVEY KURT SANSONE SUPPORT for the Nationalist Party has plummeted over the past month, leading to a 16-point gap with the Labour Party, a MaltaToday survey shows. The October survey puts the PN at 27.3%, a decrease of four points since September. The Labour Party remains relatively stable at 43.2%, a minimal decrease of less than a per- centage point. ADPD registers 1.6%, an increase of 0.4 points over last month. The party has seen its support grow con- sistently since April, albeit in baby steps. When taking into account how people voted in the last general elec- tion and analysing what would they would do now, shows that the PL en- joys a margin upward of 50,000 votes over the PN. This represents a drastic improve- ment for the PL over the vote margin of 33,000 registered last month. The outcome is the result of the PN's col- lapse. A deeper analysis of the figures shows that the PN was snubbed by its own voters despite the survey coming after the party's Independ- ence Day celebrations. The survey was carried out be- tween 27 September and 6 October. The survey shows that 15.2% of those who voted for the PN in the 2017 general election are now saying they will not vote. This represents an upward movement of six points since last month. The PN also suffers from a de- crease in voter retention with 67.7% of 2017 voters saying they will vote for the party if an election is held to- morrow. Just a month ago, the PN's voter retention rate stood at 79.5%. The PN also loses more voters to Labour than it gains. While 2.1% of those who voted PN in the last elec- tion now say they will vote for the PL, only a mere 0.4% of PL voters say they will switch allegiance. The PL's retention rate stands at a high of 81.7%. It is unclear what prompted this sudden decline in the PN's fortunes although the cold war between Adri- an Delia's canvassers and the par- ty's administration may have con- tributed to this. Bernard Grech had admonished Delia's canvassers for turning up at the PN rally on the Granaries in uniform and staying as a group. The saving grace for the PN ap- pears to be the 16-35 age group where it manages to just get ahead of the PL with 27.3% against 26.4%. However, this age group is also the one with the highest number of dis- interested voters. A whopping 22.2% of young voters say they will not vote and 16.3% are unsure who to vote for. The PL leads the PN in all other age groups and is particularly strong among the 51-65 cohort, where it garners the support of 60.7%. Among pensioners aged 65 and over, the PL enjoys the support of 47.7% against the PN's 34%. On a geographic basis, the parties are neck and neck in Gozo but the PL leads comfortably in all other re- gions. Of note is a significant decline the PN suffers in the Western region, where it scores a measly 18.8%. The Western region is made up of Żeb- buġ, Siġġiewi, Attard, Balzan, Iklin, Lija, Rabat, Mdina, Dingli and Mtar- fa. The data for these sub groups has to be interpreted with caution since the margins of error are much high- er than those for the overall result. PN support plummets as it struggles with its own voters While 2.1% of those who voted PN in the last election now say they will vote for the PL, only a mere 0.4% of PL voters say they will switch allegiance