Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/884700
11 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2017 MaltaToday Survey Traffic and parking topmost concerns There is little change in the top concerns people have but crime drops out of the top three spots. KURT SANSONE analyses the latest survey findings TRAFFIC remains an overriding concern for all voters as it cuts across the political divide, accord- ing to the MaltaToday survey for October. IT emerges as the top problem, with 35% of respondents indicat- ing it as one of their top two con- cerns. However, the issue already fea- tured as a top concern in the Sep- tember MaltaToday survey, with 34% of respondents identifying traffic as such. A deeper analysis shows that traffic is the leading matter of un- ease for both PN and Labour Party voters in the last election. While traffic is mentioned by 41% of PN voters, a third of PL voters do so. In the latest survey, parking and public transport come in second and seventh, scoring 12% and five per cent respectively. Parking had featured in fourth place last month. The survey shows that immigra- tion is the third topmost unease at 10%, dropping one rung from the second place registered last month when the issue was mentioned by 21% of respondents. However, crime, which placed third in the September survey barely features this time around, registering less than a percentage point. In the latest survey, corruption comes in fourth with seven per cent, followed by the environment at six per cent. Rental prices came in 10th as a matter of concern with three per cent of respondents indicating it as a problem. This is a slight increase on the September survey, where rents featured outside the top 10 spots. However, voters appear to be taking the cue from the positions adopted by the party they support. The second major concern for those who say they voted PN in the last election is corruption, with 17% indicating it as one of their top two concerns. Among 2017 PL voters, corruption barely features as a concern, registering less than half a percentage point. The result reflects the polarised positions adopted by the major parties in the last election on the issue. Interestingly, five per cent of respondents indicated "the Op- position" as a top concern, fuelled mostly by PL voters, eight per cent of whom believe the political rival is a problem. This is also a reflec- tion of the PL's discourse in the wake of the PN's tumultuous lead- ership election. For PL voters, the second top- most unease is immigration at 16%, followed by parking at 13%. On the PN side, the third highest concern after traffic and corrup- tion is parking, at eight per cent. Interestingly, the cost of living, which gets an overall result of five per cent, is a higher matter of dis- quiet for PN voters than it is for PL supporters. While six per cent of PN vot- ers indicate the cost of living as a concern – possibly reflecting the party's most recent emphasis that people are feeling the pinch of higher prices in the wake of a sur- plus that is not benefitting every- one – it only features as an issue with four per cent of PL voters. FULL RESULTS BROKEN DOWN BY PARTY ALLEGIANCE WILL BE PUBLISHED ONLINE ALL PN 2017 Voters PL 2017 Voters Traffic 34.7 41.2 33.3 Parking 12.2 8.3 13.5 Immigration 9.8 2.4 15.9 Corruption 7.3 16.7 0.5 Environment 6.3 4.2 6.6 Cost of Living 5.5 6.3 3.9 Public transport 5.3 5.2 6.9 Opposition 4.7 2.5 8.1 Others 4.4 6.6 2.1 Rental Prices 2.6 0.4 0.9 Lack of employment 1.8 0.7 3.2 Infrastructure 1.4 2.9 0.2 Construction 1.0 0.8 1.6 Pensions 0.9 1.1 0.4 Don't Know 0.7 0.2 1.4 Criminality 0.6 0.2 1.0 Healthcare 0.5 0.0 0.0 Political Bickering 0.3 0.4 0.3 Energy 0.1 0.0 0.1 Economy 0.1 0.0 0.1 Education 0.0 0.0 0.1