Survey of 480 Residents of St. Andrew South East
Conducted April 21 & 22, 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 73
Don’t know 13

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

Crime, violence 67%
Jobs (net) 22
Poverty, poor people need help 7
Financial problems, no money 4
Economy, economic conditions 3

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 45%
Wrong Direction 44
Don’t Know 11

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

Jobs 54%
Unity, people to come together 8
Community center 7
Crime, violence 7
Housing 5

Most Pressing Problem/Greatest Local Need:

Crime, violence 69%
Unemployment jobs 68
Unity, people to come together 8
Poverty, poor people need help 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 6%
Good 26
Not Good or Bad 18
Bad 17
Very Bad 27
Don’t know 6

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

Favourable 51%
Unfavourable 32
Not Sure 17

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 50%
Disapprove 34
Not Sure 16

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 37
Not Sure 26

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 42%
Golding 36
Undecided 20
Refused 2

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

Favourable 42%
Unfavourable 42
Not Sure 16

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

Favourable 34%
Unfavourable 45
Not Sure 21

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 40%
JLP 34
Undecided 24
Refused 2

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

Correctly identify Henry-Wilson 69%

Favourable 21%
Unfavourable 39
Not Sure 9

(IF DID NOT KNOW MAXINE HENRY-WILSON REPRESENTS THEM IN PARLIAMENT) well, your Member of Parliament is Maxine Henry-Wilson .. have you ever heard of her?

Yes – Have Heard of Henry-Wilson 28%
No – Have Not heard of Henry-Wilson 3

(IF YES) Generally speaking , do you have a favourable or an unfavourable opinion about Maxine Henry-Wilson?

Favourable 6%
Unfavourable 13
Not Sure 8

Total Recognition 97%

Total favourable: 27%
Total Unfavourable 52
Total Not Sure/No ID 21

14. As things stand now, do you think Maxine Henry-Wilson 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 27%
Someone Else 55
Don’t Know 18

What are the main reasons why you feel this way?

Reasons Why Deserves To Be Re-Elected:
Doing a good job, performing 27%
Working/trying hard 13
She’s all right, no problems with her 10
Helps the community, does a lot 8
Give her another chance 8

Reasons Why Someone Else:
Does nothing for the community 30%
Not doing a good job/performing 20
Not involved, don’t see her 17
Doesn’t care about/help people 6
Need a change 6
Someone else would do better 4

15. Have you seen or met your Member of Parliament, Maxine Henry-Wilson, in your local community within the last six months or so?

Yes – Have seen Henry-Wilson 40%
Now I’ m going to ask you about another person whose name has been in the news recently …

16. Joan Gordon-Webly, who is the JLP candidate for Parliament in your area … generally speaking, do you have a favourable or an unfavourable opinion about her?

Favourable 30%
Unfavourable 25
Not Sure 45

17. Have you seen or met Joan Gordon-Webly in your local community within the last six months or so?

Yes – Have Seen Gordon-Webly 44%

18. If the election for Parliament was being held today and Maxine Henry-Wilson was the PNP candidate and Joan Gordon-Webly was the JLP candidate, whom would you most want to win?

Henry-Wilson 30%
Gordon-Webly 31
Undecided 36
Refused 2

Did you vote in the general elections in October 2002, or like many people, did you not vote for one reason or another?

Voted 47%
Did Not Vote 53

(IF VOTED) Who did you vote for … the PNP candidate for Parliament, Maxine Henry-Wilson, or the JLP candidate, Philip Henriques, or who?

PNP – Henry-Wilson 53%
JLP – Henriques 44
Other 1
Don’t Remember/Refused 2

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

Yes -Enumerated 32%
No - Not Enumerated 21

19. 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?

Probably PNP 2%
Definitely PNP 28

Probably JLP 2%
Definitely JLP 33

Undecided 16
Refused 3

Would Not Vote 16

What are the main reasons why you feel this way?

Reasons Why PNP:
PNP supporter, family tradition 44%
Like the PNP, A good party 19
The best, better than the JLP 7
PNP is doing a good job 7

Reasons Why JLP:
Need a change 28%
PNP is doing nothing 22
Would do a good/better job 10
Deserve a change 7

20. 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 27%
Usually PNP 4
Both 5
Usually JLP 8
Always JLP 14
Don’t Vote 35
Refused 6

21. What’s your age?

18 – 24 20%
25 – 43 26
35 – 44 20
45 – 54 14
55 – 64 11
65 & Older 8

22. Do you have a full-time job, or part-time job, or are you self-employed, or are you retired, or a student, or a 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 35%
Part-Time 8
Self-Employed 22

Retired 7
Student 8
Housewife 3
Sick/Disabled 1

Out of Work – Looking 13
Out of Work – Not Looking 2

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

Tradesman 10%
Labourer, unskilled worker 8
Business person 6
White collar 5
Higgler, vendor 3
Clerical, office worker 3
Chef, waiter, waitress 3
Teacher 2
Manager, supervisor 2
Shopkeeper 2

By Observation: Sex:
Male 52%
Female 48