Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1521306
19 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 MAY 2024 SURVEY Government barely scrapes pass mark At 2.45 the government's rating is at its lowest since December DESPITE the ruling party's sub- stantial electoral advantage vot- ers are showing signs of dissat- isfaction with the government's overall performance, now rated at 2.45 out of 5. This emerges from the Gov- ernment Performance Barom- eter in which respondents are asked to give the administra- tion led by Prime Minister Robert Abela a mark between 0 (very bad) and 5 (very good). Previous surveys had pro- gressively shown the admin- istration improving its rating from 2.6 in December to 2.8 in February and 2.9 marks in March and April when the last performance barometer was held. But in a worrying sign for Abela who may be banking on the government's track re- cord in running the country to offset any damage from the hospitals scandal, the latest survey shows a dip in the gov- ernment's overall rating which now stands at 2.45. The survey also coincides with the resig- nation of Deputy Prime Minis- ter Chris Fearne from the Cab- inet following his arraignment in the hospital inquiry. Weighing on the govern- ment's relatively low rating is a significantly lower score among non- voters amongst which the government is given a rating of 2.1 down from 2.6 a month ago. Not surprisingly, during a bitter electoral campaign, the government's rating has also fallen from 2.3 to 1.7 among PN voters in 2022. But the government's rating has also fallen from 3.5 to 3.2 among Labour voters in 2022. A breakdown by age shows that the government is given the best rating by respond- ents aged over 65 years of age (2.7) and the lowest rating by respondents aged between 36 and 50 (2.3). A breakdown by income shows the government get- ting its best marks among low income earners particularly among those earning less than a monthly income of €1,000. Amongst these voters, the government is given a rating of 2.6. The government also gets a 2.5 pass among those earning between €1,001 and €2,000. But the government's rating falls to just 2.2 among both those earning between €2,001 and €3,000 a month and those earning more than €3,000. This suggests that the gov- ernment's focus on price sta- bility and boosting the in- comes of low earners through income supplements and cash handouts is appreciated by those who are most in need. But more affluent categories are less enthusiastic then they were last month. A breakdown by region shows the government getting a pos- itive rating in the South Har- bour (2.8) and the South-East- ern regions (2.6) , a pass mark in Gozo (2.5) and a lower rat- ing in the Northern region (2.4) and the North Harbour (2.3) the Western region (2.3). by 15 points those earning less than €1,000 where 47.8% trust Abela and only 18.7% trust Grech. Abela also leads Grech by 17.points among those who earn be- tween €1,001 and €2,000. But Grech leads Abela by 2.7 points among those earning between €2,001 and €3,000 and by 2.6 points among those earning more than €3,000. Abela leads Grech in all ed- ucational groups except the tertiary educated amongst which the Opposition leader leads the Prime Minister by 8.8 points. But even in this category the majority (50%) trusts neither of the two lead- ers. Education 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0 Primary Secondary Post-Sec Tertiary 56.9% 27.8% 15.3% 51% 17.4% 31.7% 32.8% 21.6% 45.5% 20.6% 29.4% 50% Robert Abela Bernard Grech None Trust Barometer Profile of Non-voters Education 45% Robert Abela Bernard Grech None 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 38 23.3 38.7 All Voters How do you rate government's performance? 2.5 0 5 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0 Less than €1,000 Between €1,001 to €2,000 Between €2,001 to €3,000 More than €3,000 44.7% 25.6% 3.5% 26.2% 38.6% 29.6% 3.7% 28.1% 21.4% 33.4% 6.9% 38.3% 22.2% 32.2% 9.7% 35.9% PL PN Other Will not vote Monthly income 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0 Less than €1,000 Between €1,001 to €2,000 Between €2,001 to €3,000 More than €3000 47.8% 18.7% 33.5% 41.5% 24.3% 34.2% 23.4% 26.1% 50.6% 23.1% 25.7% 51.1% Robert Abela Bernard Grech None Trust Barometer Robert Abela Bernard Grech None 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 38 23.3 38.7 All Voters How do you rate government's performance? Trust barometer by age Trust barometer by education Trust barometer by monthly income