MaltaToday survey shows Labour Party trusted more than the Nationalist Party on major concerns

SUMMARY

The Labour Party is more trusted than the Nationalist Party on four major public concerns, which emerged from previous MaltaToday surveys.

The PL is substantially more trusted than its main political rival to deal with the cost of living and public finances. On the former, the PL enjoys a 17-point lead, while on the latter, as revealed last week, the governing party has a 29-point lead over the PN. However, on the environment, traffic and management of population growth, the PL’s advantage is only marginal.

Moreover, a relative majority trust neither of the two big parties with addressing traffic and population growth, while small parties only make a dent when it comes to environmental issues, on which they are most trusted by 6% of the electorate.

The survey, carried out after the budget reaction speeches by the prime minister and leader of Opposition in November, asked respondents which political party they trusted most on the specific issues. The first part of this survey, which included voting intentions, the trust rating for Robert Abela and Alex Borg, and budget-related questions, was published last week.

POPULATION GROWTH

A relative majority (39%) trust no party with addressing the population issue, which topped the list of concerns in a MaltaToday survey in October. On this particular issue, the two parties are running neck and neck, with the PL leading by less than a point.

Of all five issues assessed in the survey, the PN gets its second-best score (29%) on this issue. But this offers little consolation for a party which constantly laments on the perils and burden on infrastructure of over-population. For all its emphasis on the issue, the PN is still beaten on its own turf by the party in government.

Distrust in both parties on this issue is higher among 16- to 35-year-olds (44%) and 36- to 50-year-olds (48%), and peaks among the tertiary-educated (57%) and current non-voters (80%).

The survey shows the PN making no inroads on this issue among non-voters, amongst whom only 8% trust the PN while 12% trust Labour.
But the PN is more trusted than the PL on this issue among 16- to 35-year-olds and among 36- to 50-year-olds, where it leads by two and three points.

Regionally, distrust of all parties on this issue is highest in the more cosmopolitan and denser North Harbour region where 46% trust neither party. Only 20% trust Labour on this issue in this region while 30% trust the PN. Distrust in both parties is also evident in the Labour-leaning South-eastern region, where only 19% trust the PN and 36% trust Labour.

TRAFFIC

On traffic, which was the second highest concern in a MaltaToday survey published in October, the PL leads the PN by only two points. A relative majority of 40.7% trust neither the PN nor the PL on this issue, while 2.5% trust other parties.

A breakdown by age shows that on this issue scepticism about both parties is most rampant among 36- to 50-year-olds, among whom an absolute majority (50.3%) trust none of the Maltese parties. Distrust of all parties is also rampant amongst the tertiary-educated, among whom 60% trust neither party with tackling the traffic issue.

The vast majority of current non-voters (77.5%) also trust none of the parties. But within this category, while 15% trust Labour, only 6% trust the PN.

Women (33%) are more likely to trust the PN on dealing with traffic than men (21%).

COST OF LIVING

On inflation, which emerged as the third top concern in the October survey, the PL leads by a more substantial margin. This is a clear indication that the incumbent administration is still more trusted on bread-and-butter issues.

While only 21% trust the PN on dealing with the cost of living, 38.5% trust Labour. But even on this issue a substantial 38% trust none of the parties.

Among current non-voters, only 5% trust the PN while 18% trust the PL. But the overwhelming majority in this electorally strategic category trust nobody (76%).

The PL enjoys its highest trust levels on this issue among over 65-year-olds (46%), but trust in the PL’s ability to control inflation diminishes with age to just 32% among 16- to 35-year-olds. But rather than trusting the PN, the relative majority of 16- to 35-year-olds (49%) and those aged between 36 and 50 (46%) trust neither party.

The PL is most trusted to address inflationary pressures in the South-eastern region (55%) and is least trusted in the North Harbour region (31%).

In a clear indication that Labour is substantially more trusted among lower-income groups on an issue which directly impacts their living standards, the PL leads the PN by a substantial 24 points. In contrast, among the post-secondary (52%) and tertiary-educated (47%), a relative majority trusts nobody.

ENVIRONMENT

In the October survey, the environment and related concerns on construction emerged as the fourth major public concern after population, traffic and inflation.

On this issue, despite being on the receiving end of criticism by civil society, the PL still leads the PN although by less than a point. Both parties are each trusted by around 35% of the electorate.

The PN, which has recently tried to make environmental protection a constitutionally enforced right, registers its highest score on this issue.
But the PL still fares slightly better than it does on traffic and population growth. This may reflect recent announcements on the creation of public parks in Manoel Island and White Rocks in what was perceived as a balancing act after a well-attended protest against the new planning laws on budget day.

But in a confirmation of widespread disgruntlement on the environment and linked issues such as land use and planning, 41% trust neither of the two parties. This includes a substantial 6% who trust smaller parties. This is hardly surprising considering that both ADPD and Momentum tend to focus on environmental and planning issues.

Trust in third parties on this issue rises to 9% among the tertiary-educated and is relatively high in both the PN-leaning North Harbour (9%) and the Labour-leaning South-eastern region (13%).

Among current non-voters, the PL still leads the PN on this issue by five points, but 60.5% trust nobody and 8% trust smaller parties.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Public finances did not feature among the top concerns in MaltaToday’s October survey. This in itself suggests that there is little disgruntlement on the government’s financial and economic policies, which carry widespread approval.

This issue was added to the survey list in view of the budget and has become a staple question in post-budget surveys. Labour performs best on this issue and is trusted by half of respondents, leading the PN by a staggering 29 points.

In this case, the PL’s score is boosted by the fact that a substantial 15% of current PN voters trust Labour more on this issue than the party they intend voting for.

This suggests that trust in Labour’s management of public finances does not necessarily trigger a vote for Labour.

But the PN’s lack of gravitas on this issue could pose a big obstacle in its bid to convince current non-voters to vote for it. In fact, among this category only 1.2% trust the PN with the country’s public finances.

Moreover, trust in the PN’s financial acumen is highest among younger voters: 14% among both 16- to 35-year-olds and 36- to 50-year-olds. In contrast, trust in Labour’s financial policies surpasses the 47% mark in all age groups.

The PN’s vulnerability on this issue is also confirmed by the fact that only 52% of its voters trust it on this crucial issue. This suggests that the party could face problems if Labour manages to shift public debate towards its “steady pair of hands” on this issue, as the Gonzi administration did before Muscat’s Labour managed to recruit Edward Scicluna as its top financial spokesperson, a role inherited by economist Clyde Caruana.

Labour is also in a more favourable position because it is more trusted on the inflation issue. The quandary for the PL is its low scores on the side effects of its economic growth model on issues related to traffic, immigration and the environment. The ultimate question is which issues will the electorate prioritise when choosing which political party they want in government come election time.