WHAT worries most Malaysians? Money. That’s what 93.9% of the people polled by Bersatu’s Bureau of Policy and Strategy said in a survey.

Nine out of 10 Malaysians polled listed the rising costs of daily essentials and the price of houses to be the most worrying issues of the day.

The other issues of concern to Malaysians were corruption, crime and social ills, according to the “What Malaysians Want?” survey conducted by Bersatu between July and August 2016, even before the party was formed.

The “What Malaysians Want” survey was based on 23 focus groups identifying issues relevant to Malaysians. Bersatu’s Bureau of Policy and Strategy formulated the 222-question survey after collating the discussion points from 162 participants from the focus groups. 

They then conducted face-to-face interviews with 2,881 Malaysians in more than 30 constituencies. The respondents consist of 52.2% men and 47.8% women. 

23.1% of the respondents were from cities, towns (49.8%), interiors (19.8%) and settlements like Felda (7.2%). The racial profile was 67.6% Malay, Chinese (23%), Indians (5.6%) and Sabah And Sarawak natives (3.7%). 

Education wise, 25.4% of those surveyed had degrees, diplomas and certificates (35.2%), and SPM or lower qualifications (39.4%).

The study was conducted between July and August 2016 before Bersatu was formalised.

Also high on their list of concerns were inadequate income levels, rising numbers of foreign workers, drug and alcohol abuse, GST and the lack of employment opportunities.

Among those polled, more Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputeras and Malays were concerned about employment opportunities compared to their Chinese counterparts.

To tackle the problem of rising costs, 93.9% said they want the government to control prices of essential goods while 82.4% called for the removal of GST. The study also showed that more Felda settlers want GST removed compared to their counterparts in other locations.

The findings also showed that 91.7% want more job opportunities for the young and 90.8% called for higher income levels for the lower-salaried workers.

On corruption, 92% want graft to be wiped out from the civil service while 91.7% felt the same with enforcement agencies.

Another major concern for more than 90% of Malaysians was the quality of education in schools and institutes of higher learning.

Among the issues they highlighted were removing education fees (77.7%), free bus service (69.8%) and English medium schools (62.9%). – May 10, 2017.