Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1515804
14 SURVEY maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 FEBRUARY 2024 PN making no substantial gains over 2019 Government performance gets 2.8 out 5 marks CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 But the survey also shows the PN making no substantial gains over 2019 with Labour losing support to abstention and not to the opposition party. On the other hand, the survey shows support for third parties, which include ADPD and an assort- ment of right wing parties and inde- pendents, increasing from 7.8% in 2019 to 11%. In the survey small par- ties are grouped together for meth- odological reasons. PL loses a third of its 2022 voters to abstention Although Labour still manages to start the race ahead of the PN, it on- ly manages to retain 58% of its voters from the 2022 general election. And while the PN makes no substantial in- roads among PL voters, it still manag- es to retain 71% of its voters in 2022. The survey shows both parties los- ing support to abstention. But while the PN loses 23% of its 2022 voters to abstention, a whopping 34% of La- bour voters are intent on not voting. This means the gap between the two parties could be even greater if in the coming months, Labour man- ages to convince its past voters to go out and vote. The survey shows both major par- ties losing 5% of their 2022 voters to third parties. The PL loses 3% of its 2022 voters to the PN while the PN loses 2% of its voters to the PL. Half of under 50 year olds set to abstain The survey shows that half of 16 to 35 year olds and 49% of those aged between 36 and 50 are presently intent on not voting in next June's MEP elections. But in an indication of the PN's in- ability to communicate with young- er people, Labour still enjoys a five- point lead among 16 to 35 year olds and an even higher 12-point lead among 36 to 50 year olds. But the survey shows the two par- ties neck and neck among both 51 to 65 year olds and pensioners, two cat- egories registering a lower absten- tion rate. This suggests that older PN voters are keener on voting than Labour voters of the same age. Abstention highest in Gozo and south east The survey also confirms a rela- tively higher abstention rate in Gozo (43%) and the south east (42%) two regions where Labour has made sub- stantial inroads in the past decade. Abstention in the south east is clearly penalising Labour to the ex- tent that the PN is leading by four points in this Labour leaning region, which includes localities like Birżeb- buġa, Marsaskala and Żurrieq. In Gozo, Labour still enjoys a small one-point lead. But in an indication that Labour can eventually recover support in both regions, the survey's trust ba- rometer shows Robert Abela leading MALTATODAY'S Government Performance Barome- ter shows the government improving its rating from 2.6 in December to 2.8 now. This represents the highest rating for the government since MaltaToday introduced this gauge of government performance in May 2023. Respondents are asked to give the administration a mark between 0 (very bad) and 5 (very good). The government is given a pass in all demographic groups except current PN voters (1.8), PN voters in the 2022 election (2) and non-voters in the 2022 general election (2.4). Significantly, among the current crop of non-voters the Abela government manages to scrape the pass mark; with its rating increasing from 2.3 in December to 2.6 now. This suggests that the government's focus on inflation through an agreement with supermarkets aimed at price stability, coupled with budgetary measures aimed at low income earners have partly paid off in restoring the feel good factor. Moreover, the survey suggests a consolidation of sup- port for the government among Labour voters. While current Labour voters give the government 4 points out of 5 up from 3.7 in December, Labour voters in 2022 give the government 3.5 marks, up from 3.2 just two months ago. The government also gets a positive rating in all re- gions in a range between 2.7 in the south east, the north and the north harbour regions, to 3.1 in the South har- bour. While the higher rating in the deep red south harbour region suggest that the government has shored up sup- port in Labour's heartlands, the relatively lower rating in the southeastern region suggests that pale red voters are still restless. A breakdown by income shows the government get- ting its best score (2.9) among those earning between €1,000 and €2,000 a month and those earning less than €1,000 (2.8). In contrast the government gets a low- er rating of between 2.6 and 2.7 among those earning more than €2,000, who are less likely to benefit from the budget measures. The government gets a pass park among all education- al brackets with its rating ranging between 2.6 among the tertiary educated and 3 among those with a primary level of education. The first survey after Abela's ministerial reshuff le shows the government improving its rating from 2.6 in December to 2.8 now Voting intentions by 2022 voters Voting intentions by age