COLOMBO – An opinion survey for July has shown significant drop in the net favourability rating of leftist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake and a marginal gain for opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, while President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s rating stayed static.
The Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) by the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) showed that the net favourability rating of National People’s Power (NPP) leader Dissanayake fell 15 points to -44 points in July while Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) leader Premadasa’s favourability rating increased 4 points to -44 points. President Wickremasinghe’s favourability rating remained the same (-52).
Favourability estimates for each month are based on 100–400 interviews conducted during that month and during a few weeks before and afterwards to ensure a minimum set of responses, the IHP said in a statement. The July 2023 estimates are based on 367 (Premadasa), 309 (Dissanayake), 367 (Wickremasinghe), and 154 (former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa) interviews.
“We have noted that some members of the public misunderstand media reporting of these numbers. Negative scores, i.e., a net favourability rating of less than zero, mean that the individual or institution is unpopular. Only positive scores, i.e., net favourability is more than zero, mean that the individual or institution is popular on average,” the IHP said.
In June, a voting intention poll showed Dissanayake enjoying 40% support ahead of Premadasa at 35% and Wickremesinghe at 15%.
“The June IHP/SLOTS MRP (Multilevel Regression and Post-Stratification (MRP)) Presidential Election voting intention poll shows NPP/JVP leader A. K. Dissanayake having the support of 40% of likely voters (no significant change since May), ahead of SJB leader Sajith Premadasa on 35% (-2), and both well ahead of President Ranil Wickremesinghe on 15% (no change) and a generic Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) candidate on 9% (+2),” a statement from IHP said in late July.
The June 2023 MRP estimates were based on 506 interviews conducted in June 2023, and 11,926 interviews conducted from October 1, 2021 to July 20, 2023, with a margin of error assessed as 1–3% for the various candidates.
The June polling, which follows four months of similar numbers, suggests that the electorate’s preferences have stabilized since early 2023, said the IHP. Support for President Ranil Wickremasinghe, which had seen a boost in previous months, did not show any further gains in June, whilst support for a generic SLPP candidate continued to rise slowly, albeit from a low base, the organization said.
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