IIUM study: BN increasingly popular!

BN’s increased popularity is due to several factors, including the effectiveness of the government’s programmes and that the BN component parties have recovered from their internal problems, as well as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s leadership.

(Bernama) - The people’s support for the Barisan Nasional (BN) has increased of late compared to during the 2008 general election, according to a recent study conducted by the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).

The study shows that BN’s popularity increased by four per cent to 55 per cent from 51 per cent during the 2008 general election, while only 37 per cent of Malaysians are willing to vote for Pakatan Rakyat (PR), a drop of 12 per cent from 49 per cent in the same period.

Eight per cent of the 1,367 respondents in the survey said they were unsure which party they would vote for if elections were to be called tomorrow.

The same study was done in August 2009 involving 1,458 respondents.

According to the latest study, Malay support for BN has increased by three per cent to 61 per cent in August 2010 from 58 per cent in August 2009. Chinese support for BN is still low but has increased by two per cent from 40 per cent previously.

However, support from the Indian community has dropped from 63 per cent to 59 per cent because 14 per cent of them chose not to support any party.

The study was done from August 1 to 18 nationwide to obtain the views of respondents aged 21 and above, on current issues. The 1,367 respondents comprised Malays/Bumiputeras, Chinese, Indians and Malaysians of other races.

The study was headed by Azrul Hisyam Wakichan and supervised by Prof Datuk Seri Syed Arabi Idid, senior lecturer of the university’s Commmunications Department.

According to the study, BN’s increased popularity is due to several factors, including the effectiveness of the government’s programmes and that the BN component parties have recovered from their internal problems, as well as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s leadership.

Pakatan Rakyat’s popularity, on the other hand, has taken a dip due to the internal squabbles among party members and between its component parties, and its failure to fulfil the promises made in the last general election. – Bernama