New data has emerged from respected

pollster Bill Johnson, which places Prime Minister Andrew Holness well ahead of

Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips in both their approval and favourability

ratings.

Johnson’s June 2020 poll, conducted for

Mello TV, noted that 76 per cent of Jamaicans had a favourable opinion on Prime

Minister Holness, while 34 per cent felt similarly when asked about Dr Peter

Phillips.

Some 40 per cent of responders held an

unfavourable view of Dr Peter Phillips and 26 per cent were not sure, compared

to Holness’ 14 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.

Johnson said that Holness currently enjoys

the largest share in leadership favourability ever seen since Portia Simpson

Miller in 2006.

Interestingly, Johnson further remarked

that within the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP), supporters have had a

near equal opinion on both leader Peter Phillips and Andrew Holness—a sign that

emphasises the turmoil within the organisation.

“Statistically, the number of PNP voters

rating both of them are, in effect, equal. This does not bode well for the

Opposition Leader,” he explained, adding that 59 per cent of PNP supporters

rated Andrew Holness favourably, while 63 per cent gave the nod to party leader

Dr Phillips.

Jamaican perception of Andrew Holness

continued an upward trend as the poll found that the prime minister registered an

approval rating of 81-percent, his Opposition counterpart Dr. Phillips has an

approval rating of 32-percent.

Concerningly, some 41 per cent of

responders expressed a disapproval of the Opposition Leader’s performance to

date, while 12 per cent of those disapproved of Holness’ performance, when

asked.

The poll highlights many major issues with

public perception of Dr Phillips’ leadership as his disapproval rating is nine percentage

points higher than his approval rating.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Andrew

Holness’ approval rating far exceeds his disapproval rating, by some 69 percentage

points.