Mello TV/Bill Johnson Poll: Holness ‘miles ahead’ of Phillips in favourability, approval ratings
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.