Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1469874
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 JUNE 2022 10 MALTATODAY SURVEY Abela rides the wave as Grech slumps to worst ever trust rating KURT SANSONE ROBERT Abela's trust rating stands at 51.3%, a MaltaToday survey shows as he continues to ride the wave that propelled the Labour Party to election victory. The Prime Minister enjoys a 28-point lead over Opposition leader Bernard Grech, whose trust rating slumps to 23.6%, his worst performance since Sep- tember 2020. The survey also shows that 21.5% of vot- ers trust none of the two leaders. The last trust barometer published six days before the March general election saw Abela enjoy a rating of 43.8% and Grech a rating of 30.6%. Abela went on to successfully lead the Labour Party to a landslide victory amid a higher abstention rate. The survey was carried out between 16 and 25 May before the Nationalist Party's leadership election that saw Grech being reconfirmed leader by 81% of councillors in a one-horse race. The findings show that Abela enjoys the upper hand on Grech among men and women, all age groups and across all re- gions bar one. Abela enjoys the trust of 97% of those who voted for the PL in the March elec- tion as opposed to Grech, who enjoys the trust of 65.1% of those who voted for the PN. Nationalist voters remain inconsistent with 26.1% saying they trust none of the two leaders, while 3.9% trust Abela and 4.8% did not reply. Among young voters aged between 16 and 35, Abela enjoys the trust of 46.3%, while Grech's rating stands at 22%. Abe- la's best performance is among those aged between 36 and 50 where he scores a trust rating of 55.5%. On the flipside, Grech ex- periences his worst result in this age co- hort, mustering only 13.8%. On a geographical basis, Abela enjoys outstanding support in the Western and Southern Harbour regions, scoring 66.3% and 62.8% respectively. In the South-Eastern region, the Prime Minister scores a trust rating of 54.6% and in Gozo he hits 53.7%. In the Northern Harbour region, Abela enjoys a relative majority of 44.5%, while in the Northern region he trails Grech by two points. The Northern region is the only one where Grech emerges ahead of his rival. The PN leader scores 38.7% against Abe- la's 36.9%. Otherwise, Grech posts dismal show- ings in the Western region (a mere 3.6%) and Gozo (8.3%). These two regions are characterised by a significant number of people who trust none of the two leaders, suggesting a greater level of dissatisfaction among PN voters. In Gozo, 38% of respondents trust nei- ther Abela nor Grech, while in the West- ern region 30.1% trust none. The numbers suggest that Grech's trust rating is negatively hit by what appears to be widespread disenchantment among PN voters, a trend that may have worsened af- ter the March general election result. Methodology The survey was carried out between Monday 16 May 2022 and Wednesday 25 May 2022. 656 respondents opted to complete the survey. Stratified random sampling based on region, age and gender was used to replicate the Maltese demo- graphic. The estimated margin of error is 4.3% for a confidence interval of 95% for the overall results. Demographic and sub- group breakdowns have significantly larg- er margins of error. Trust Barometer and Political Survey Robert Abela Bernard Grech Neither Don't know 0 10 20 30 40 50 51.3% 7.5pp 23.6% -7pp 21.5% 5 June 2022 pp change 20 Mar 2022 Between Robert Abela and Bernard Grech, who do you trust the most? Full demographics comparing trust between Abela and Grech 5-Jun-22 20-Mar-22 Overall PL now PN now Will not vote now Uncertain voter PL 2022 PN 2022 Did not vote 2022 Male Female 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ Primary Secondary Post-Sec Tertiary Gozo Northern N Harbour S Eastern S Harbour Western 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 51.3% 23.6% 21.5% 98.3% 75.1% 15.7% 6.7% 22.1% 67.3% 10.5% 34.8% 11.7% 49.0% 97.0% 65.1% 26.1% 27.6% 58.2% 10.2% 54.4% 20.5% 20.9% 47.3% 27.5% 22.3% 46.3% 22.0% 28.4% 55.5% 13.8% 29.9% 51.1% 29.9% 16.8% 52.2% 29.0% 11.4% 7.5% 64.7% 25.6% 7.1% 64.4% 17.1% 17.2% 53.6% 20.4% 20.9% 29.3% 32.6% 32.2% 53.7% 8.3% 38.0% 36.9% 38.7% 18.1% 44.5% 33.2% 21.3% 54.6% 19.5% 16.0% 9.8% 62.8% 15.6% 19.8% 66.3% 30.1% Robert Abela Bernard Grech None Do not know Which political party would you vote for if an election were to be held tomorrow? The Prime Minister enjoys a 28-point lead over Opposition leader Bernard Grech, whose trust rating slumps to 23.6%, his worst performance since September 2020