MaltaToday Trust Barometer: Muscat strongest among voters aged 36 to 50

Delia’s fortunes are highest among those aged 65+, where he registers a trust rating of 23.9%

Joseph Muscat trumps Adrian Delia across all age groups in the latest MaltaToday trust barometer.

The Prime Minister registers the strongest trust rating among middle-aged voters, while the Opposition leader fares best among pensioners.

The survey was held in the last week of January and Muscat’s overall trust rating stood at 41% and Delia’s at 15.4%.

READ MORE: MaltaToday Trust Barometer: Delia shows slight improvement as Muscat loses traction

 breakdown of the results by age group shows Muscat enjoying his highest rating at 46.2% among those aged 36 to 50.
breakdown of the results by age group shows Muscat enjoying his highest rating at 46.2% among those aged 36 to 50.

Muscat saw his trust level drop by nine points over the December survey, while Delia bounced up eight points.

A breakdown of the results by age group shows Muscat enjoying his highest rating at 46.2% among those aged 36 to 50. This is followed by the 18-35 age group, where Muscat has a trust rating of 43.4%.

These two demographic segments are crucial to any political party because they encompass the largest group of voters with the highest disposable income. Muscat’s strong showing in these two age groups is probably a reflection of a successful economy that has created jobs and generated wealth.

Delia trails in all age groups

Delia’s fortunes are highest among those aged 65+, where he registers a trust rating of 23.9%. This coincides with the Prime Minister’s lowest rating at 37%, which still puts Muscat 13 points ahead of his rival among pensioners.

Delia’s worst showing is among middle-aged voters where he only registers a trust rating of 11.1%, indicative of the PN leader’s inability, so far, to connect with the working-age population, a main economic driver.

But the results are also conditioned by those who trust neither of the two leaders and those who are unsure who to trust.

The 18-35 age group registers the lowest percentage of those who trust no one (9.1%) and the highest percentage of undecided (33.8%).

The 36-50 age group registers the highest percentage of those who trust no one (22.5%).

The survey was conducted between 23 and 29 January and polled 501 respondents. A multiple imputation system was used to reduce the number of non-answers. Respondents were chosen using stratified random sampling based on age, region and gender. The margin of error for this survey is plus or minus 4.2%.