Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1487671
8 NEWS ANALYSIS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 7 DECEMBER 2022 THE latest MaltaToday survey suggests that gender is becom- ing a key factor in determining the political choices of the elec- torate, with Abela and Labour strengthening their hold among female voters while shedding support among male voters and the elderly. Overall, among all respond- ents, the survey had shown Grech improving his trust rat- ing by four points and Abela by one point. It also showed Labour losing three points as the PN gained four points. In this way Grech has narrowed Abela's lead from 29 points in October to 26 points now, and the PN has narrowed Labour's advantage from 20 points in October to 12 points now. But in the latest survey's trust barometer, Abela still leads Grech by a staggering 32 points among women but only by 20 points among males. In fact an absolute majority (53%) of women trust Abela. But trust in the Prime Minister drops to 43% among males. A previous survey held in Oc- tober had shown Abela leading by 31 points among males and by 26 points among females. A comparison between the two surveys shows Abela gaining 8 points among women while losing 5 points among males. The latest survey also shows Labour leading the PN by 15 points among women but on- ly by 10 points among males. Moreover, while the PL lost nearly 8 points among males over the previous month, sup- port for the PL among women has increase by 2 points. The shift of political opinions along gender lines coincided with growing controversy on a bill meant to give legal pro- tection to women and doctors who have to terminate a preg- nancy in cases where the moth- er's health and life is in "grave jeopardy". A survey held in July had shown support for the de- criminalisation of abortion was slightly higher among females then among males. While 39% of women backed decriminal- isation in all or some circum- stances, only 34.2 % of males expressed the same view. But a previous survey in 2019 indi- cated that support for abortion in cases where the life of the mother is in danger was slight- ly higher among males (39%) than among females (36%). Moreover, the drop in support for Abela and Labour among males may also be attribut- ed to other issues, including 'bread and butter' issues like inflationary pressures, while it still has to be seen whether the difference in political views on gender lines is sustained in fu- ture surveys. Major shift among over 65s and tertiary educated What the survey clearly shows is a shift against Labour among respondents aged over 65, which is also the bracket most opposed to decriminalis- ing abortion. Among this age bracket, compared to survey results last month, Grech gains five points while Abela loses ten points. In this demograph- ic, Labour loses nine points, and the PN gains three points. Gender and age disparity: has abortion Abela and Labour have lost support among men and the elderly but gain from women and the tertiary- educated, while both leaders gained from 16-35s: how far is this shift ref lecting the ongoing abortion debate? asks James Debono Trust Barometer and Political Survey Trust Abela Trust Grech Will vote PN Will vote PL 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 43.1% 53.1% 22.7% 21.3% 33.3% 39.9% 23.3% 25.2% Males Females Trust and voting intentions by gender, Dec 2022 Gender pp change in trust and voting Oct-Dec Abela's trust rating among males Abela's trust rating among females Grech's trust rating among males Grech's trust among females PL support among males PL support among females PN support among males PN support among females -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 -5.1 +7.8 +5.6 +2 -7.5 +2.3 +5.2 +3.2 Other key demographics pp change trust and voting Oct-Dec Trust Abela Trust Grech Will vote PN Will vote PL 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 43.1% 53.1% 22.7% 21.3% 33.3% 39.9% 23.3% 25.2% Males Females Trust and voting intentions by gender, Dec 2022 Gender pp change in trust and voting Oct-Dec Abela's trust rating among males Abela's trust rating among females Grech's trust rating among males Grech's trust among females PL support among males PL support among females PN support among males PN support among females -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 -5.1 +7.8 +5.6 +2 -7.5 +2.3 +5.2 +3.2 Other key demographics pp change trust and voting Oct-Dec Abela's trust over-65s Grech's trust over-65s PL support among over-65s PN support among over-65s Abela's trust 16-35s Grech's trust 16-35s PL support 16-35s PN support 16-35s Abela's trust tertiary educated Grech's trust tertiary educated PL support tertiary educated PN support tertiary educated -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 -9.5 +5.4 -9.4 +3.4 +11.2 +9.7 +3.4 +8.8 +13.4 -0.4 +6.1 -0.1