- Gonsalves Faces Approval Challenges Amidst ULP Performance Ratings
- Poll Indicates Strong Support for Opposition Leader
A recent poll commissioned by the Caribbean Institute for Governance and Policy Research, which was led by consultant Devaron Bruce, a political scientist, stated that of the 1,123 respondents, 33.7 percent felt that the ULP would retain office, while 30.1 percent felt that the NDP would capture government.
Regarding Vincentians’ perspectives on Dr. Godwin Friday’s leadership, 32 percent of respondents approve of Dr. Friday’s performance, which is relatively similar to Dr. Gonsalves’ approval of 35.2 percent.
The poll also indicated that, regarding possible alternatives to becoming prime minister, opposition leader Dr. Godwin Friday was the most preferred option at 21 percent. Following Dr Friday is Dr Kishore Shallow at 19 percent, followed by Saboto Caesar at 17 percent.
When it comes to Vincentians’ willingness to elect a younger leader, a majority, 53.5 percent, express support, while less than a quarter, 24 percent, reject the idea.
In terms of Vincentians views on who stands a better chance of defeating prime minister Gonsalves, opposition leader Godwin Friday leads with a percentage of 26.4 percent.
Dr. Kishore Shallow, with 18.6 percent, and St. Clair Leacock, with 15 percent, follow Dr. Friday.
The poll stated that given Dr. Friday’s position as the Leader of the Opposition, his standing comes as no surprise. On the other hand, Dr. Kishore Shallow has an impressive showing of support despite not yet being elected, the poll noted.
Regarding the percentage of Vincentians who indicate that they will be voting in the next election, 57 percent said that they will be voting, while 20 percent said they will not be voting, and 22.9 indicated that they were unsure whether they were voting.
As it relates to Vincentians approval of Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, 35.2 percent of respondents have approved his performance as prime minister. This is particularly notable as prime minister Gonsalves is outperforming the ULP, as only 20 percent of respondents gave a positive assessment of the ULP, whereas 40 percent of respondents disapproved of prime minister Gonsalves’ performance.
Regarding Vincentians’ perceptions of the governing ULP government’s performance, nearly 50% of respondents gave the ULP a poor rating, with 23.3 and 26.4 percent giving the ULP no more than a 2 out of 5 rating. It is particularly noteworthy that only 20 percent of respondents thought the ULP was doing a good job, whereas 28.4 percent thought the ULP was doing a fair job.
In terms of age demographics, 28.95 percent of the respondents were aged 18-30, 38.34 percent were aged 31-50, 20.75 percent were aged 50-65, and 11.97 percent were over the age of 65.
