Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/224217
9 News survey mt maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 DECEMBER 2013 Muscat still leads Busuttil by 17 points Only 36% say Labour is honouring 'Malta Taghna Lkoll' meritocracy pledge JAMES DEBONO DESPITE his generous budget and a strong showing in parliament in the Budget speech, Joseph Muscat has lost four points in his approval rating as prime minister since the beginning of October, when his performance was deemed a positive one by 51% of respondents. Muscat's rating is now 11 points than it was in April a month after the general elections. In October Muscat had managed to recover some of the support lost following a dip in support before the summer lull. The recent drop suggests that recent events like the proposed citizenship scheme and rising concern on the environment, following the approval of the Mistra permit, might have dented Muscat's popularity. But despite this small dip, Muscat's approval rating is that this disenchantment has so far not resulted in any gains for his rival Simon Busuttil. MAIN FINDINGS • Muscat's approval rating falls by 4 points, but leads Busuttil by 17 points in trust rating • Only 36% say Labour is honouring meritocracy pledge, down 10 points from May • Only 26% agree with citizenship scheme, same as last month • Outright opposition to IIP falls by 4 points, agreement with scheme if accompanied by investment increases by 5 points • Concern on cost of living and utility bills falls by 14 points and 12 points respectively since June • Environment and immigration concern rise by 7 and 9 points, respectively • Citizenship scheme is top concern of only 9% of respondents remains higher to that enjoyed by former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi in the entire previous legislature. In September 2008, Lawrence Gonzi's performance was deemed a positive one by 41%. But by the following year, his approval rating fell to an abysmal 19%. The survey also shows that the number of respondents judging Muscat's performance as 'so-so' has increased by 10% since October. This suggests that a segment of the electorate is disenchanted to a certain extent, but not enough to deem Muscat's performance negatively. In fact the percentage of those who judge Muscat's performance negatively have decreased by two points. Significantly, the survey still shows Muscat making some inroads among Nationalist voters in the last general election, 6% of which judge his performance positively. But 10% of Labour voters and 26% of switchers (respondents who voted Nationalist in 2008 and Labour in 2013) deem his performance as being "so and so". In a reflection of increased polarisation and the PN's more belligerent opposition in the past weeks, the percentage of PN voters who deem his performance a negative one has increased by 16 points. Nearly a tenth of switchers also judge his performance negatively. This suggests that after nine months in power, Muscat has disenchanted a portion of voters who switched sides in the last election, but he still manages to enchant a small number of Nationalist voters. The positive news for the prime minister Major Concern Name two main problems facing the country Employment Cost of Living Environment Public Transport Immigration Health Finances/economy Roads Citizenship Low income Utility bills Traffic Others Employment Cost of Living Environment Public Transport Immigration Health Finances/Economy Roads Citizenship Low income Utility Bills Traffic Now 18.3 13.1 12 10.9 10.9 10.9 10.6 10.6 8.6 8.6 7.4 5.7 6 June 19.7 27.1 5.1 5.1 2.0 10.2 17.3 8.9 0 15.6 19.7 5.1 4.2 PN voters 23 9.2 16.1 8 6.9 13.8 12.6 5.7 27.6 4.6 2.3 3 Difference -1.4 -14 6.9 5.8 8.9 0.7 -6.7 1.7 8.6 7 -12.3 0.6 1.8 PL voters 17.9 6.4 6.4 15.7 12.9 7.9 8.6 15 2.1 10 8.6 6.6 Muscat leads Busuttil by 17 points Despite a small dip in his approval rating, Muscat retains the same trust lead over PN leader Simon Busuttil which he enjoyed in October. In fact both leaders have lost a point over last month, while the percentage of respondents who trust neither of the two leaders has shot up by 4 points. Significantly while only 1.4% of PL voters in the last election trust Busuttil more than Muscat, 7% of PN voters trust Muscat more than Busuttil. This suggests that Muscat is still making inroads in the Nationalist Party's restricted voting base. The good news for Busuttil is that 8.7% of switchers who voted PN in 2008 and PL in 2013 now prefer him