Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1520732
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 MAY 2024 SURVEY Trust gap reduces but a relative majority trusts no one A relative majority of 37.1% do not trust Robert Abela and Ber- nard Grech, MaltaToday's latest survey shows. Meanwhile, Abela's trust rat- ing has plummeted to 36.8% from 45.9% in March when the last Trust Barometer was pub- lished. Bernard Grech's trust rating now stands at 26.1%, an increase from 21.7% in March. These figures emerge from MaltaToday's Trust Barometer in which respondents are asked which of the two political lead- ers enjoys their trust. Respondents who do not trust either of the two leaders have increased by a remarkable five points, particularly among the 16- to 35- year-old cohort, where respondents who trust neither of the two leaders have increased from 42.9% to a stag- gering 56%. The narrowed gap between the two political leaders is explained by a drop in Abela's trust rat- ing among Labour voters in the 2022 general election and a sig- nificant increase in Grech's trust rating among PN voters in the same election. While Grech has seen his trust rating among PN voters increase by 11 points from just 55.4% in March to 67.5% now, trust in Abela among Labour voters has decreased by 12.3 points from 87% in March to 74.7% now. This drop in Abela's trust rating among PL voters cor- responds to an increase in La- bour voters who trust neither of the two leaders, up from 11.1% in March to 22.3% now. The amount of 2022 Labour voters who trust neither leader is now slightly higher than the amount of Labour voters who are intent on not voting in forthcoming MEP elections (20%). But the survey also shows that 6% of current Labour voters do not trust Abela even if they will still vote for the party. Abela's deflated trust rating suggests that he may be paying the price for his difficult balanc- ing act following the conclusion of the magisterial inquiry on the hospitals scandal. While Ab- ela has tried to contain losses among Labour voters angry at seeing his predecessor charged on his watch by using harsh words directed at the judiciary, his antics may have dented trust among other categories of vot- ers. Grech recovers among PN voters On the other hand, Grech's strong stance in defence of the judiciary seems to have paid off among PN voters where his trust rating has shot up by 11 points. But despite the boost in his trust rating, Grech remains dis- trusted by 30.3% of PN voters in 2022 and fails to make any significant inroads among PL voters. Only 3% of PL voters in 2022 trust Grech more than Ab- ela while 2.6% of PN voters trust Abela more than Grech. And among non-voters in the 2022, elections 83.2% distrust both leaders, 10.2% trust Abela and only 6.7% trust Grech. This suggests that Grech's post inquiry antics still leave a significant por- JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Trust rating by age