Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542822
ROBERT Abela is trusted with run- ning the country by 41.3% of voters while Alex Borg scores 35.9% in a di- rect confrontation, MaltaToday's first survey of 2026 shows. Compared to November, Abela has lost 3.9 points, while Borg has gained 0.6 points. Abela's losses correspond to a 3.3-point increase in those who trust neither of the two leaders. The survey came in a period when both parties pushed their leaders to the fore to mark Borg's 100-day anni- versary in December and Abela's six- year anniversary in January. The result suggests that the lowering of political tensions during the Christ- mas period penalised Abe- la but did not result in any significant gains for Borg. The holiday disengagement from politics reflected in the higher percentage of voters who trust neither of the two leaders with run- ning the country. The survey also shows that both leaders are trusted by the vast majority of their respective party voters. Abela enjoys the trust of 94% of current PL voters, while Borg enjoys the trust of 87.6% of PN voters. This outcome partly explains why Borg is more trusted than his predecessor Bernard Grech who was trusted by less than 60% of PN voters. The survey also shows that current non-voters are more likely to trust Abela than Borg. While the vast ma- jority of current non-voters (72.4%) trust neither of the two leaders, 12.1% trust Borg and 15.5% trust Abela. This suggests that Labour has more space to grow in the next months among non-voters who prefer Abela to run the country. But compared to pre- vious surveys this space has become more restricted as the percentage of non-voters, who trust Abela has de- clined from 32.3% in November to 15.5% now. Moreover, Borg is also making in- roads among PL 2022 voters. Within this category, 10.6% trust Borg more than Abela. This is slightly higher than the percentage of PL voters who will now vote for the PN (8.6%). In con- trast, amongst PN 2022 voters only 3.6% trust Abela more than Borg even if 6% will vote Labour in a forthcom- ing election. This suggests that while former PN voters shifting to Labour do not necessarily trust Abela, those migrating from the PL to the PN are more likely to trust Borg. Abela leads in four regions The survey shows Abela lead- ing Borg by substantial margins in the South-eastern region (30.6 points) and South Har- bour (10.8 points). Significantly, Abela also leads by 11.5 points in the traditionally PN-leaning Northern region and by 2.3 points in the Western region. Borg is trusted to lead the country more than Abela in only two regions— his home district, Gozo, where the PN leader leads the prime minister by just 1.7 points, and the North Harbour re- gion where Borg leads by 7.3 points. These results suggest a very tight race for the Gozo district where the PN is also leading by just under a per- centage point. These breakdowns are only indica- tive due to a considerably higher mar- gin of error among sub groups but largely confirm trends in previous sur- veys. Compared to November, Abela has improved his trust rating in Gozo from 35% to 40.2%. Abela more trusted by all age groups The survey also shows Abela lead- ing in all age groups. Among 16- to 35-year-olds, Abela leads Borg by sev- en points even though when it comes to voting intentions, his party leads by less than a point. This suggests that Labour has more room to grow among younger voters, who trust Abela but are still intent on not voting. This may be an important consideration for La- bour strategists focusing on translating Abela's appeal among young people into a vote for the incumbent govern- ment. Abela also leads Borg by 4.5 points among 36- to 50-year-olds and by 10.4 points among those aged between 51 and 65. But the gap is reduced to less than a point among pensioners. The survey shows Abela enjoying the same level of trust among men and women (41%) while Borg is slightly more trust- ed by men. A breakdown by education- al achievement shows that a relative majority of tertiary educated voters (37.5%) trust neither political leader. On the other hand, only 26.8% in this category trust Abela while 35.7% trust Borg. This suggests a disconnection between Abela and tertiary educated respondents, which Labour needs to address. Abela remains considerably more trusted than Borg among the primary and secondary educated, which could reflect widespread working class sup- port for Labour's social and fiscal pol- icies. In contrast Borg is more trusted among those with a post-secondary education, another pivotal category in which Labour had made considerable inroads in the past decade. THE ALL-NEW B10 STARTING FROM €20,900* (*2025 GOVERNMENT GRANTS AND SCRAPPAGE SCHEME INCLUDED. TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY). mt SURVEY SUNDAY • 25 JANUARY 2026 | maltatoday Abela registers four-point drop on trust barometer JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt 100.0% 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ PL PN Momentum ADPD Other Will not vote Age 110% 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ 36.8% 29.7% 33.5% 36.7% 32.2% 31.1% 48.5% 38.1% 13.4% 44.5% 43.6% 12% Robert Abela Alex Borg None Trust Barometer Profile of non-voters Age Gender Regions Education Past vote 28% 26% 24% 22% 20% 18% 16% 14% 22.6% 26.4% 18.8% Robert Abela Alex Borg None 0 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 41.3% 35.9% 22.8% All Voters Robert Abela enjoys a 5.4-point lead over Alex Borg on the trust barometer, a four-point decrease since November last year • PN leader's trust stable at 36%