Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532462
mt SURVEY SUNDAY • 16 FEBRUARY 2025 | maltatoday 10 Robert Abela leads Bernard Grech by 22 points PRIME Minister Robert Abela is still significantly more trusted to run the country than Opposition leader Ber- nard Grech, despite Labour leading by only four points. The first MaltaToday Trust Barome- ter for 2025 shows that Abela is trusted by 46.8%, up 3.6 points from Novem- ber. Trust in Opposition leader Bernard Grech has remained stable at 25% while those who trust neither of the two lead- ers have decreased by three points. This means that the trust gap between Abela and Grech has increased from 16 points in September to 18 points in No- vember and 22 points now. This suggests that Abela's appeal to the grassroots in the past weeks and his more aggressive stance in confronting the Opposition has paid off. But the trust boost for Abela could also be a reflection of the feel-good factor gen- erated by the income tax cut and oth- er budgetary measures, including im- proved pensions and old age benefits. While the survey confirms Abela's strong advantage over Grech, it also suggests that Grech's poor rating is not deterring a sizeable number of voters, who trust neither of the two leaders, from voting for the Nationalist Party in a forthcoming general election. In fact, 26.9% of current PN voters trust nei- ther leader and surprisingly 11.2% trust Abela more than Grech but would still vote PN. And while only 61.9% of current PN voters trust Grech, 88.1% of current La- bour voters trust Abela. What is definitely bad news for the Nationalists is Grech's extremely low standing among current non-voters – a strategic category where the PN needs to make inroads to secure victory in the next general election. In this sizea- ble category, only 10.7% trust Grech to run the country, while 37.6% trust Ab- ela. This suggests that Labour has more room to grow in this vital category than the PN does. Abela leads in five of six regions Despite Labour trailing the PN in three out of six regions, Abela leads Grech in all regions except Gozo. How- ever, his lead over Grech ranges from 52 points in the South-eastern region, to 12.6 points in the North Harbour. While the Prime Minister's trust rat- ing peaks in the South Harbour region, where he is trusted by a staggering 65.6% of respondents, Grech's popular- ity peaks in Gozo, where he is trusted by 36.9%. The highest percentage of voters who trust neither of the two leaders is found in the South Harbour region, where 32.2% trust neither Grech nor Abela to run the country, followed by Gozo, where 31.1% trust neither leader. Abela leads in all age groups The survey confirms Bernard Grech's difficulty in communicating with 16- to 35-year-olds. In this category only 15.4% trust the PN leader with running the country compared to 45.5% who trust Abela. In this cohort a significant 39.1% do not trust either of the two leaders. In contrast, only 14.6% of over 65-year- olds trust neither of the two leaders. But in this category, while Grech is seen as the most trusted leader by 32%, Ab- ela is trusted by an absolute majority of 53.4%. Compared to the November survey, Abela's trust rating in this cate- gory has increased by three points. This is another indication that the grey vote has shifted towards Labour in the past months. Significantly, the survey also shows Abela leading Grech among voters of all educational backgrounds, including those with a tertiary level of education. But while among the latter Abela is trusted by 31.9%, his rating increases to a staggering 56.4% among those with a secondary level of education and 59.9% among those with a primary level. The most distrustful of both leaders were respondents with a post-second- ary education amongst which 40.7% trust neither of the two leaders. But in a worrying sign for the PN the party leader is only trusted by 19.7% of this strategic category of voters. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Age Gender Region Education 2022 Voters 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0 PL 2022 PN 2022 No vote 2022 65.5% 9.9% 1.5% 1.7% 0.3% 21.1% 10.1% 69.9% 4% 2.2% 0.3% 13.5% 15.6% 20.7% 4% 3.1% 0.3% 56.4% PL PN Momentum ADPD Other Will not vote 2022 Voters 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 78.7% 55.7% 55.8% Trust Barometer Robert Abela Bernard Grech None 0 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 46.8% 24.7% 28.5% All Voters