A substantial 66.2 per cent of Jamaicans have rated Portia Simpson Miller’s performance as prime minister as very good, good or fair, in the latest Stone Polls.

But 19.1 per cent of Jamaicans rated the performance of the country’s first woman prime minister as very bad or bad.

The polls were conducted during the first week of August 2006, using a representative sample of 1,496 eligible voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent.

“Despite criticisms of Prime Minister Simpson Miller’s handling of a number of important policy issues, such as the recent cement shortage, she received more positive than negative ratings,” the Stone Polling Team said.

Some 28 per cent of those interviewed felt that she was doing a ‘good’ or ‘very good’ job, while 19 per cent felt that she was doing a ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ job.

However, the Stone Team described the 38 per cent of Jamaicans who rated her performance as ‘fair’ as “volatile”.

“The largest proportion, 38 per cent, rated her performance as ‘fair’, suggesting that there may be some dissatisfaction with her performance. This large percentage of ‘fair’ ratings is potentially volatile, and could shift upwards or downwards, depending on how the government performs in the period leading up to the elections, Stone said.

The Stone Poll Team

The Stone team was led by Dr Ian Boxill, a professor of comparative sociology at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona and a specialist in opinion and survey research.

The poll team also included:

Dr Lawrence Alfred Powell (PhD MIT), a senior lecturer in methodology in the Department of Government, at the UWI. Powell specialises in cross-cultural survey research, political psychology and media politics.

Roy Russell, a statistician and survey researcher who lectures in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work.

Dr Lloyd Waller, a lecturer in the Department of Government, UWI, where he specialises in research methodology and transformation in government and politics.

Arlene Bailey, an information systems specialist in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social work, who is involved in survey research, and

Wyvolyn Gager, supervisor; Rosemarie Stone, consultant and an experienced force of field researchers.

Tomorrow: Which leader will get more of the women’s vote?