Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/448091
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 JANUARY 2015 19 in the PM's ratings. But these small move- ments may be attributable to the survey's mar- gin of error. Compared to November the percentage of respondents who trust neither of the two leaders has doubled from 10% to 19.5%. The increase in voters who trust none of the two leaders is corresponded by a decrease in "don't knows". Labour leads by 9 points For the first time since the 2013 general election, respondents were asked to state for which party they would vote if an election were to be held tomorrow. The survey shows Labour leading by nine points. Interestingly the survey shows that while 6.3% of PN voters in 2013 would now vote La- bour, 4% of PL voters in 2013 would now vote for the PN. This suggests a small two-point shift from the PN to Labour. This may suggest that Labour may have im- proved its standing slightly since the general election and also that Muscat's personal ap- peal among a category of PN voters does not necessarily translate into a vote for Labour in a general election. The survey also suggests that while 15% of PN voters judge Muscat's performance posi- tively and 12% trust him more than Busuttil, only 6% would vote Labour in a general elec- tion. On the other hand while only 5% of PL vot- ers trust Busuttil more than Muscat and only 4% judge Muscat's performance negatively, the same percentage of Labour respondents would vote PN in a forthcoming election. This suggests that although Busuttil's appeal among PL voters is limited, it is resulting in a definitive shift of allegiance for these voters. This is mostly the case with switchers, 12% of whom would now vote for the PN. The PL only manages to retain 45% of switchers if an election were held now. The survey also shows the greens retaining most of their 2013 voters. A substantial 13% would not vote if an elec- tion were held now. Significantly while 17% of PN voters replied that they won't vote, only 9% of PL voters replied likewise. But while 11% of PL voters are undecided, only 5% of PN replied in the same vein. Nearly a third of switchers are now unde- cided on who to vote for. The PL still retains more of its 2013 voters than the PN – while 67% of PN voters are sure of voting PN again, 74% of PL voters are sure of voting for their party again. Methodology 762 respondents were contacted by telephone between Wednesday 7 and Tuesday, 13 Janu- ary. The survey was stopped when a 500-quota sample was reached. Respondents were told that MaltaToday was conducting the survey. Its results were weight- ed to reflect the age and gender balance of the population. The survey has a margin of error of +/-4.4%. Respondents were asked how they voted in the 2008 and 2013 elections. News Busuttil in trust barometer News mt survey One of the reasons why MalatToday surveys correctly predicted the outcome of the 2013 general election and other electoral appointments is that the sample of respondents correctly reflected the percentage of PN and PL voters in the previous general election. This particular survey also includes a good representative sample. In fact while 38.6% of respondents replied that they had voted PL in the last general election, 28.6% had voted PN while 1.6% had voted AD. The 10-point difference between PL and PN 2013 voters is close to the 12-point difference between the two parties in the actual election. Accuracy of MaltaToday surveys ALL VOTERS PN VOTERS PL VOTERS 'SWITCHERS' 14.1% 34.3% 3.9% 9.1% 35.3% 46.9% 16.3% 36.4% 6.7% 4.1% 1.5% 0%