Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/655581
12 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 MARCH 2016 News Panamagate failed to dent the Prime Minister's solid trust rating but hurt his standing with the floating vote, of whom over 40% now claim they trust neither of the two main leaders... Jul-2013 Dec-2013 Mar-2014 Apr-2014 2 May 2014 11 May 2014 18 May 2014 Jan-2015 Mar-2015 Jun-2015 Oct-2015 Jan-2016 Feb-2016 Mar-2016 Hunting referendum April Manuel Mallia dismissed from Cabinet Michael Falzon resigns over Gaffarena inquiry Watch the switchers move.... Jul-2013 Dec-2013 Mar-2014 Apr-2014 2 May 2014 11 May 2014 18 May 2014 Jan-2015 Mar-2015 Jun-2015 Oct-2015 Jan-2016 Feb-2016 Mar-2016 Joseph Muscat Simon Busuttil Don't know JAMES DEBONO THE latest MaltaToday survey conducted after Panamagate showed Muscat's trust rating at an all time low among switchers – the category of voters who voted PN in 2008 and PL in 2013. Yet despite the sharp dip for Muscat, who is now trusted by 23.4% of switchers, compared to 67% in July 2013, just months after the general election, the majority of switchers in the latest survey (41.2%) trust neither leader. An analysis of MaltaToday surveys shows that the mood of this category only changed drasti- cally after June 2015, following the revelations on land expropriations benefitting Marco Gaf- farena. MaltaToday surveys show support for the PN among switchers increasing by just 2 points (9% to 11%) between March 2014 and March 2015. This suggests an initial disappointment with the new Labour government among a tenth of switchers who remained constant during the first two years. Similarly, Muscat saw his trust rating among switchers dropping from 67% in July 2013 to 57% in December 2013. This remained rela- tively constant in the next months, with surveys showing the Prime Minister retaining the same trust rating as recently as a year ago, in March 2015. Trust in Muscat among switchers fell from 56% to 46% in June 2015 while trust in Busuttil rose from 9% to 29%. With regard to voting intentions support for the PN also increased from 12% in March to 33% in June. Muscat did recover some support among switchers, with his trust rating going up again to 50% in October, after the summer lull. The PN also lost two points among this cat- egory in the same period. Muscat again lost trust following the publication of the Auditor General report on the Gaffarena case, which led to the resignation of parliamentary secre- tary Michael Falzon, with his trust rating among switchers falling to 39% in February 2016. Pan- amagate resulted in another blow for Muscat in the switcher category, his trust rating plummet- ing to just 23%. But while Muscat has seen a considerable dip in his trust rating, Simon Busuttil has only reg- istered moderate gains. Busuttil's trust among switchers peaked at 29% after the Gaffarena rev- elations but fell again to 25% in January. Neither did Busuttil's trust rating receive any boost af- ter Panamagate, with the latest survey register- ing a 27% trust rating for the PN leader in this category. Regarding voting intentions the latest sur- vey shows the PN getting nearly a third of the switchers's vote, one point less than in June. This suggests that while the Gaffarena case re- sulted in a shift towards the PN among switch- ers, Panamagate has resulted in a loss of trust in Muscat but no further vote gains for the oppo- sition. The survey also shows that switchers are more likely to vote PN in a forthcoming election than put their trust in Busuttil. For while only 27% of switchers trust Busuttil, 32% would vote PN. Working on the assumption that switchers constituted the vast majority of Labour's 36,000 strong majority in 2013 (since the 2008 election was won by the PN by just 1,500) in numerical terms, the latest MaltaToday survey would mean that 11,000-12,000 switchers have migrated back Labour launches IIP sale Trust in no leader Joseph Muscat Labour Labour launches IIP sale Panamagate National protest against Zonqor university vey shows the PN getting nearly a third of the 66.6% 68.4% 39.4% Muscat peaks then falls during EP election campaign 57.6% 45.8% Gaffarena scandal breaks 47.2% 38.8% 23.4% 9.5% 29.2% 26.5% 41.2% 30.3% European Parliament elections Gaffarena scandal breaks How switchers' trust changed since 2013