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By Nakinskie Robinson
There is a relatively high degree of awareness when it comes to Jamaicans knowing their councillors.
That's according to the results of the latest RJRGLEANER Communications Group-commissioned poll which canvassed responses about public knowledge of councillors' names, their visibility and performance improvement.
Sixty-two per cent of Jamaicans say they are aware of the the name of the councillor that represents their division.
In contrast, 32 per cent say they do not know who their local government representative is, while six per cent are unsure of their councillor's name.
This 30 per dent difference goes against the backdrop of recent public discourse that most Jamaicans are clueless about who their councillors are.
The poll also recognised that, across the 14 parishes, Trelawny, Portland, St. Thomas, Manchester, St. James and St. Catherine recorded the highest numbers for those in the know.
But the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation, Clarendon, Hanover and Westmoreland had the lowest number of people knowing the names of their councillors.
Meanwhile, one of the teething pains that persists for councillors is the public's perception that their visibility is too low.
Fifty-three per cent of those polled say they are unhappy with the frequency with which councillors make their presence felt in their division, with 39 per cent saying they hardly see them, while 14 per cent say they never see their representative.
On the opposite end is the 39 per cent of respondents who say they are content with the extent to which their councillors come around.
Eighteen per cent say they visit the division very often and 21 per cent say their councillors are oftentimes present.
An analysis of the Municipal Corporations also revealed that voters are seemingly most content with their councillors in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, St. Thomas, St. Mary and the KSAMC.
The lowest satisfaction levels were recorded in Hanover, Trelawny, Clarendon, and St. James.
On the issue of performance, voters are divided when it comes to service improvement over the last seven years.
Thirty-five per cent generally feel that the service quality has improved since 2016.
This, however, is negated by the 39 per cent of respondents who believe performances have been stagnant, while 26 per cent express uncertainty.
The people of Hanover, St. Catherine, St. James, Clarendon, and St. Elizabeth say they have seen improved service quality from parish council.
In contrast, Trelawny, Portland, Westmoreland and St. Mary were listed as having Corporations with the lowest quality of service.
The latest poll was conducted amongst a representative sample of 1,010 registered voters, aged 18 and older, in all 14 parishes.
Field work was conducted over the period February 2 to February 7.
The margin of error was plus or minus three per cent at the 95 per cent confidence level.
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