Survey: Prime Minister's approval rating up to 67 pct in April

KUALA LUMPUR: The public approval rating for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin remains stable at 67 per cent amidst concern over the economy and COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recently-concluded national survey of Peninsular Malaysia voters.

The survey, which was carried out by Merdeka Centre between March 31 and April 12 this year, also indicated that the Muhyiddin retained strong support from the Malay electorate at 83 per cent, Chinese (30 per cent), and the Indian community (66 per cent).

“The figure shows an improvement compared to the 63 per cent approval rating recorded at the end of January this year,” said the centre of the survey which involved 2,111 respondents aged 21 and above for the latest report.

Besides that, the survey also found that public mood about the direction of the country was mixed with 41 per cent expressing that the country was ‘moving in the right direction’, while 46 per cent felt the country was ‘headed in the wrong direction’.

These views show a marked change since January 2021, when 32 per cent felt the country was headed in the right direction, and 54 per cent expressing things were in the wrong direction.

“Those who expressed the view that the country was headed in the right direction cited positive

feelings towards the administration as well as recognition that the public’s welfare was being taken

care of.

“Those who felt the country was headed in the wrong direction cited concerns over political stability and unfavourable economic conditions,” read the statement.

In terms of issues of personal concern to voters, the report showed that economic conditions remained a topmost concern at 57 per cent, followed by the pandemic at 16 per cent, while politics was a distant third, expressed only by 2.4 per cent of those interviewed.

The survey also found that the concern over the economy was underpinned by voters’ own personal financial conditions where 57 per cent reported that their condition was ‘worse off’ compared to a year ago, before the full impact of the pandemic-imposed movement controls.

Meanwhile, with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, the same survey found that a majority of voters or 70 per cent were satisfied with how the government was handling the problem.

This represents an improvement from the 53 per cent observed in January 2021 (at the point in time when daily infections exceeded 4,000 cases).

-- BERNAMA