Survey of 489 Residents of St. Elizabeth South West
Conducted March 10 & 11, 2007

1. Generally speaking, do you think things in Jamaica are going in the right direction these days, or do you think they’re going in the wrong direction?

Right Direction 14%
Wrong Direction 76
Don’t know 10

2. What in your opinion is the most pressing problem the country faces at this time?

Crime, violence 69%
Jobs (net) 26
Poverty, poor people need help 5
Financial problems, no money 4

3. Thinking about the area that you live…generally speaking, do you think things are going in the right direction these days in the area you live in, or are they going in the wrong direction?

Right Direction 43%
Wrong Direction 49
Don’t Know 8

4. What would you say is the greatest need at this time in the area that you live in?

Jobs (net) 55%
Road conditions 16
Crime 8
Unity, people to come together 8
Schools, education 5

Most Pressing Problem/Greatest Local Need:

Crime, violence 71%
Jobs (net) 64
Road conditions 16
Unity, people to come together 8

5. How would you rate the performance of the government at this time… would you say the government is doing a very good job, or a good job, or a bad job, or a very bad job, or is it doing neither a good nor a bad job?

Very Good 3%
Good 28
Not Good or Bad 17
Bad 28
Very Bad 19
Don’t know 6

6. Generally speaking, do you have a favourable or an unfavourable opinion about Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller?

Favourable 54%
Unfavourable 34
Not Sure 12

7. When you get right down to it, do you approve or disapprove of the job that Portia Simpson-Miller is doing as Prime Minister?

Approve 47%
Disapprove 38
Not Sure 15

8. Generally speaking, do you have a favourable or an unfavourable opinion about Bruce Golding, the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, the JLP?

Favourable 37%
Unfavourable 32
Not Sure 31

9. As things stand now, who do you think would do a better job as Prime Minister… Portia Simpson-Miller or Bruce Golding?

Simpson-Miller 37%
Golding 30
Undecided 33

10. Generally speaking, do you have a favourable or an unfavourable opinion about the People’s National Party, the PNP?

Favourable 38%
Unfavourable 43
Not Sure 19

11. What about the JLP, the Jamaica Labour Party… generally speaking, do you have a favourable or an unfavourable opinion about it?

Favourable 33%
Unfavourable 41
Not Sure 26

12. Which of the two major political parties do you think would do the best job of governing Jamaica at this time… the PNP or the JLP?

PNP 34%
JLP 31
Undecided 35

13. Do you happen to know who represents your constituency in Parliament … I mean, who’s your Member of Parliament?

Correctly Identify St. Aubyn Bartlett 52%

(IF ST. AUBYN BARTLETT) Generally speaking, do you have a favourable or an unfavourable opinion about your Member of Parliament, St. Aubyn Bartlett?

Favourable 9%
Unfavourable 30
Not Sure 13

(IF DID NOT KNOW ST. AUBYN BARTLETT REPRESENTS THEM IN PARLIAMENT) Well, your Member of Parliament is Dr. St. Aubyn Bartlett … have you ever heard of him?

YES-Have Heard of Bartlett 36%
NO – Have Not Heard of Bartlett 12

(IF YES) Generally speaking, do you have a favourable or an unfavourable opinion about St. Aubyn Bartlett?

Favourable 6%
Unfavourable 14
Not Sure 16

Total Recognition 86%

Total Favourable 15
Total Unfavourable 44
Total Not Sure/No ID 41

14. As things stand now, do you think St. Aubyn Bartlett deserves to be re-elected as your Member of Parliament when the next general elections are held, or do you think someone else should be elected to Parliament from your area?

Deserves To Be Re-Elected 17%
Someone Else 52
Don’t Know 31

What are the main reasons why you feel this way?

Reasons Why Deserves To Be Re-Elected:
Doing a good job 20%
Not doing bad, he’s all right 13

Reasons Why Someone Else:
Does nothing 38%
Don’t see him, absentee landlord 29
Not doing a good job/performing 13
Don’t even know him 5
Doesn’t care about/help people 5

15. Have you seen or met your Member of Parliament, St. Aubyn Bartlett in your local community in the last six months or so?

Yes 23%

Now I ‘m going to ask you about another person whose name has been in the news recently ….

16. Dr. Trevor Munroe, who was the PNP candidate for Parliament … generally speaking, do you have a favourable or an unfavourable opinion about him?

Favourable 30%
Unfavourable 22
Not Sure 48

17. Have you seen or met Trevor Munroe in your local community in the last six months or so?

Yes 25%

18. If the election for Parliament was being held today and Trevor Munroe was the PNP candidate and St. Aubyn Bartlett was the JLP candidate, whom would you most want to win?

Munroe 29%
Bartlett 23
Undecided 48

19. Did you vote in the general elections in October of 2002, or like many people, did you vote for one reason or another?

Yes- Voted 44%
No - Did Not Vote 55
Don’t Remember 1

(IF VOTED) Who did you vote for … the PNP candidate for Parliament, Colin Campbell, or the JLP candidate, St. Aubyn Bartlett, or who?

PNP – Campbell 44%
JLP – Bartlett 50
Other 2
Don’t Remember 3

(IF DID NOT VOTE) Are you enumerated to vote at this time or are you not enumerated?

Yes -Enumerated 32%
No - Not Enumerated 23

20. Regardless of how you may feel about your local candidates for Parliament, if the election for Parliament was being held today, do you think you would probably vote for the PNP candidate, or would you definitely vote for the PNP candidate, or would you probably vote for the JLP candidate, or would you definitely vote for the JLP candidate, or are you probably not going to vote as things stand now?

Registered Voters

Probably PNP 7%
Definitely PNP 22

Probably JLP 5%
Definitely JLP 24

Undecided 15
Refused 1

Would Not Vote 26

What are the main reasons why you feel this way?

Reasons Why PNP:
PNP supporter, family tradition 25%
Like it, a good party 14
Portia (Net) 19
Like her, she’s good 9
Give her a chance 10

Reasons Why JLP:
Time for /need a change 21%
PNP is doing nothing 12
Deserves a chance 10
JLP supporter, family tradition 28
Like it, a good party 9

21. Thinking back to how you’ve voted in the past, would you say that you always vote for the PNP candidate for office, or do you usually vote for the PNP candidate, or do you sometimes vote for the PNP candidate and sometimes for the JLP candidate, or you usually vote for the JLP candidate, or do you always vote for the JLP candidate?

Always PNP 17%
Usually PNP 7
Both 9
Usually JLP 7
Always JLP 17
Don’t Vote 38
Refused 4

22. What’s your age?

18 – 24 15%
25 – 43 32
35 – 44 21
45 – 54 15
55 – 64 12
65 & Older 4

23. Do you have a full-time job, or part-time job, or are you self-employed, or are you retired, or a student, or an housewife, or are you out of work and looking for a job, or are you out of work and not looking for a job at the present time, or what?

Full-Time 33%
Part-Time 8
Self-Employed 20

Retired 6
Student 6
Housewife 3
Sick/Disables/Unable to Work 1

Out of Work – Looking 15
Out of Work – Not Looking 5

(IF FULL-TIME, PART-TIME, OR SELF-EMPLOYED) What type of work do you do?

Farmer 13%
Labourer, unskilled worker 12
White collar 6
Business person 5
Clerical, Office worker 3
Professional 3
Driver, delivery 3
Cashier, store clerk 2
Higgler, vendor 2
Hairdresser, barber 2

By Observation: Sex:
Male 52%
Female 48