Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/829524
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 28 MAY 2017 11 MaltaToday Survey PN voters 2013 PL voters 2013 Switchers Non-voters New voters PN voters 2008 PL voters 2008 PL PN AD PD Patriots Not voting Don't know No reply 3.3% 82.7% 31.4% 15.2% 37.9% 8.1% 89% 82.9% 6.1% 31.4% 30.3% 34.5% 75.8% 2.6% 0 0 0 3% 0 0 0 1.9% 0.2% 0 3% 3.4% 1.1% 0.6% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.3% 1.6% 3.9% 6.1% 3.4% 0.8% 1.2% 10.8% 7.9% 31.4% 42.4% 17.4% 12.5% 4.9% 0.8% 1.5% 1.9% 0 3.4% 1.7% 1.7% PL PN Don't know No reply Not voting [PD] AD Patriots Jan-15 Mar-15 Jun-15 Oct-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Sep-16 Nov-16 Mar-17 Apr-30-2017 May-07-2017 May-14-2017 May-21-2017 May-28-2017 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Voting intentions since January 2015 PANAMA PAPERS 7% of PL voters trust Busuttil Significantly 6.8% of PL voters in 2013 (up from 6.4% last week) trust Busuttil more than Muscat. On the other hand 3.6% of PN voters in 2013 trust Muscat more than Busuttil, (same as last week). This suggests that both leaders have man- aged to appeal beyond the boundaries of their respective 2013 cohorts. Over the past week both leaders have lost points among switchers. But while Muscat has lost two points, Busuttil has lost four. Muscat now enjoys the trust of 33% of switchers compared to Busuttil who en- joys the trust of 31% of switchers. The per- centage of undecided voters among this category has grown by nearly eight points over last week while those who trust nei- ther leader has declined by two points. In this week's survey 4% of PL voters in the 2008 general election trust the PN leader more than Muscat, up from 2% last week. This confirms Busuttil's ability to inspire trust among traditional Labour voters who had voted for Labour when it was still led by Alfred Sant. PL leads by 4 points As regards voting intentions the survey shows the PN gaining 0.3 points and La- bour gaining 0.9 points. The survey shows a two point increase in don't knows. But this was corresponded by a three-point drop in no replies. The survey confirms inroads made by the PN among Labour voters in the last elec- tion. The percentage of PL voters shift- ing to the PN-PD alliance has increased slightly from 5.7% last week to 6.3% now. The percentage of PL voters shifting to the PN is exactly as it was two weeks ago. But the percentage of PN voters who will now vote PL has also increased to 3.3%, which is the highest registered so far dur- ing the electoral campaign. This suggests that the PN has not blocked the haemor- rhage of votes to the PL and that Muscat is still appealing to a category of PN voters in 2013. This is a clear indication that a segment that voted for Lawrence Gonzi's party in 2013 may have warmed to Labour in government. But in this survey the PN also makes greater inroads among the PL's 2008 vot- ers. While a week ago only 1.3% of PL voters in 2008 said they would vote PN, the percentage rises to 3.2%. This figure includes 0.6% who will be voting for the Democratic Party. Of strategic importance is the PN's ad- vantage among non-voters in the 2013 general election. Among this category, while 33% will vote PN or PD (three points up from last week), 15% (same as last week) will vote PL. AD fares best among this group, registering 3%. Both leaders 2 points more popular than their party The survey shows both Muscat and Bu- suttil being two points more popular than their party. This indicates that both parties' have some space for future growth among that category of electors who prefer Muscat or Busuttil, but who are not committed with regard to voting intentions. But the survey also shows Busuttil gain- ing ground among 2008 Labour voters than among his own party. In fact while 3.2% of PL voters in 2008 will vote PN or PD, 4.1% of the same cohort trust Busuttil more than Muscat. This also indicates that the PN may have some space for further growth in this cohort. But unlike Busuttil Muscat remains two points more popular than his party among switchers. Methodology The survey was held between 22 and 25 May. The results were weighted to reflect the age and gender balance of the popula- tion as shown in the census of the popu- lation. The survey which was based on a random sample chosen from on-line phone directories was stopped when 850 phone calls were completed. The survey has a margin of error of +/-3.5 points. Present voting intentions of different categories of voters