Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1547077
la with 39.3% and Borg 38.2%. Gozo, where the two parties are neck and neck, gives Abela a modest advantage over his rival (41.9% to 38.7%). The widest gaps in Abela's favour are found in the South East and South Harbour regions. In the South East, Abela is trusted by 55.3%, com- pared to 26.1% for Borg. In the South Harbour, the fig- ures stand at 54.7% and 24.2% respectively. The West region gives Abe- la a substantial advantage over Borg (47.5% versus 33.4%). These regional results are significant when read alongside the voting inten- tion figures. The South East, for ex- ample, combines a modest 11.7-point lead for the PL in voting intentions with the country's highest regional non-voting figure. Abela nevertheless has a 29.2-point trust advantage here. That suggests that high non-voting in the region does not translate into distrust in the prime minister. The survey shows that personal trust in Abela remains considerably higher than current Labour voting intention in this group of respondents. Trust among non-voters Among respondents who say they would not vote, 31.3% trust Abela most, compared with 16.3% for Borg. Another 52.4% trust neither. The same pattern is visible among people who did not vote at the pre- vious election. Here, Abela is trusted by 23.6%, Borg by 20.6%, while 55.8% trust neither. This suggests that non-voting is a heterogeneous category. Some non-voters still express a preference for one leader, while a much larger proportion rejects both. It also helps explain why the party figures and leader figures can move in different directions. A respondent can currently decline to vote Labour, or decline to vote at all, while con- tinuing to regard Abela as the more trusted of the two leaders to lead the country. 7% of current PN voters trust Abela The survey also identifies a small but politically significant cohort of voters who separate their choice of lead- er from their intended vote. Among those saying they would vote PN in an election now, a remarkable 6.9% nev- ertheless say they trust Abela more to lead the country, while 2.8% of in- tended PL voters put their trust in Borg. While these groups are rela- tively small, they point to some scope for both leaders to broaden their appeal be- yond their own electoral base. The presence of voters intending to support the PN while trusting Abela is particularly tricky. It indicates that the PN's current support depends on retaining a co- hort, which still trusts the Labour leader and who could switch back to the PL in increasingly personalised and presidential electoral contests. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 OCTOBER 2026 This survey was conducted between 22 September and 2 October 2026. The survey is based on a representative sample of 835 respondents. The sampling approach followed a stratified random design, ensuring proportional representation across key demographic variables such as age, gender, and locality. 'Don't knows' were allocated through a statistical imputation. At a 95% confidence level, the overall survey results carry a margin of error of ±3.4%. Methodology Abela leads Alex Borg by 9 points Age Gender Region 2026 Voters Current Voters 110% 100% 90% 80% 7 0% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0 North N. Harbour S. East S. Harbour Wes Gozo 28.6% 50.7% 20.7% 39.3% 38.2% 22.6% 55.3% 26.1% 18.7% 54.7% 24.2% 21.1% 47.5% 33.4% 19.1% 41.9% 38.7% 19.4% Robert Abela Alex Borg None Profile of non-voters Age Gender Region 2026 Voters 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0 North N. Harbour S. East S. Harbour West Gozo 21.9% 21.8% 31.9% 22.1% 23.1% 25.4% All Voters Government Performance Rating Age Gender Region 2026 Voters Current Voters 110% 100% 90% 80% 70% 6 0% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ 41% 31.9% 27.1% 43.4% 31.7% 24.9% 43.2% 37.8% 19.1% 49.3% 38.8% 11.9% Robert Abela Alex Borg None Profile of non-voters Age Gender Region 2026 Voters 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ 30% 25.6% 27.1% 14.8% Alex Borg None 0 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 35.1% 20.6% All Voters MaltaToday survey: Trust rating region Lefft: Robert Abela embracing supporters at the Mqabba mass meeting (Photo: Daniel Tihn/ MaltaToday)