Holness rejects latest Don Anderson poll findings

 

Prime Minister and leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, Dr. Andrew Holness is rejecting the latest RJRGLEANER-commissioned Don Anderson poll, which showed that 40% of the electorate do not support his party compared with 32% for the PNP. 

 

According to the survey, released on Sunday, the JLP leader has a 41?vourability rating, slightly ahead of Mr. Golding's 38.5%. 

 

Both leaders also face significant negatives with Dr. Holness at 37% unfavourable and Mr. Golding at 27%. 

 

Speaking with journalists on Monday afternoon, Dr. Holness argued that the JLP's internal polls show a different outcome. 

 

"You know, the Don Anderson polls for what they are worth have not been very accurate. And I don't rely on them and I wouldn't advise persons to rely on them either. The truth is, we have commissioned our own polls and our polls show a scenario that is totally different from what is being painted or portrayed. We don't disclose our polls for good reasons. One of the things, of course, we don't want any complacency to set in. But we have done a poll of 23 seats and we have used a very large sample," said Dr. Holness, who insisted that the larger the sample, the greater the accuracy. 

 

The JLP leader said the party conducted internal polls in 23 constituencies to capture the main concerns of potential voters. He admitted that joblessness is still a concern for voters despite the unemployment rate being at a record low. 

 

"What our polls have shown is that the top five things universally - meaning across all 23 constituencies that we have done - road and water, number one or number two, depending on the constituency. A close third that keeps coming up is garbage collection. Then four is joblessness, which is still, for me, a puzzle since unemployment rates are low. But it is particularly amongst youth. So it's not joblessness in the sense that people don't have jobs, more opportunities.

 

"And persons are also very much concerned about housing, the quality of their housing and their housing stock. So these are the things that the government will concentrate on. Not that we are not concentrating on them now, but we will put even greater emphasis on them in the next term," he suggested.