Mark Golding Surges Past Holness in Likability Poll

Mark Golding, leader of the Opposition People’s National Party, has overtaken PM Holness in likability among Jamaicans.

The latest Don Anderson poll indicated bad news for Prime Minister Andrew Holness. He has ceded ground in his positive likability ratings to Mark Golding.

When asked about their perception of the leaders of the two major political parties, 36 percent of respondents said they favored the PNP’s Mark Golding.

Prime Minister Holness trails behind Mark Golding for the first time with a 32.5 percent likability rating.

Things are getting worse for Prime Minister Holness and the JLP Government. An earlier Don Anderson poll indicated that 58 percent of Jamaicans believe the country was heading in the wrong direction.

Nonetheless, the Prime Minister did not take those results kindly. He called them nonsense.

The PNP showed a strong presence in the February local government election. A Don Anderson poll in April showed Mark Golding trailing at 37 percent behind Mr. Holness at 40 percent.

Both leaders’ likability ratings have declined between February and the latest Don Anderson poll. Prime Minister Holness has suffered a 7.5 percent dip, while Golding has dropped one percent.

Jamaicans Favor Mark Golding Over Holness: Poll Results.

Political commentator Lloyd B. Smith believes Mr. Golding’s newfound favor results from a lack of public confidence in Prime Minister Holness.  

“I think the shift has come about because it’s a question of likability. I think based on what has been happening in the political arena recently, Mr. Holness has come across as being somewhat arrogant and is not sufficiently in tune with the Jamaican people in terms of their view of a leader that is compassionate and caring,” he asserted.  Mark Golding, he believes, fills this gap.

Some 38.2 percent of the 1,012 people who participated in the survey said they had no opinion of the Opposition Leader, while 25.8 percent had an unfavorable view.

Prime Minister Holness has also racked up unfavorable gains, with 39.9 percent of respondents saying they have an adverse opinion of Mr. Holness.

Another 27.5 percent of respondents say they have no opinion about Mr. Holness.

Mr. Smith believes the controversy surrounding the Prime Minister’s financial affairs contributed to the shift. 

“The matter of the Integrity Commission issue would be playing out itself there as well, against the backdrop that many Jamaicans are, in fact, not feeling the prosperity binge that has been promised and that has been touted, but are suffering with the cost of living and what have you. Meanwhile, Mark Golding continues gaining favor among these voters.

The poll was conducted between September 27 and October 3 and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percent at the 95 percent confidence level.