POLITICAL instability and economic concerns were among the main reasons most Malaysians polled in a recent survey felt that the country was headed in the wrong direction.

Pollster Merdeka Centre found that public mood towards the direction of the country was mixed, although 46% of those surveyed were of the view that the country was heading in the wrong direction.

Meanwhile, 41% felt that the country was in the right direction, which is a marked improvement from 32% in January.

“Those who expressed the view that the country was headed in the right direction cited positive feelings towards the administration as well as recognition that the public’s welfare was being taken care of,” Merdeka Centre said on the findings of the Peninsular Malaysia Voter Perception on Issues, the Economy and Leadership.

A total of 2,111 respondents aged 21 and above were surveyed from March 31 to April 12 for the poll.

All respondents were registered voters of whom 64% were Malays, 28% Chinese and 8% Indians, which reflected the electoral profile of Peninsular Malaysia.

Of this, 978 respondents felt the country was going in a wrong direction while 858 felt otherwise.

About 27.3% of the respondents cited political instability as the reason for the perception that the country is heading in a wrong direction while another 20% cited economic concerns.

Providing a breakdown on the economic concerns, the survey found that a majority (15.5%) found the economic condition as being unfavourable, while high cost of living (1.7%), unemployment (1.3%) and insufficient income (0.9%) were the other reasons.

Apart from political instability and economic concerns, administration (9%), leadership (7%) and racial matters (5%) were the other reasons attributed to the perception of the country being in a wrong direction while another 6% were unsure.

Conversely, 23% respondents attributed good administration as the reason the country was on a good footing while 13% commended the good leadership with majority (10.4%) lauding the government for prioritising people’s welfare.

In terms of ethnicity, 54% of Malays had positive sentiments towards the country’s direction while 33% felt otherwise.

However, Chinese and Indians did not share the same sentiments as 72% and 62% felt the country was in a wrong direction.

The younger strata of respondents aged between 21 and 30 (54%) felt the country was on good footing while their older counterparts felt otherwise.

Meanwhile, the majority of male respondents (52%) felt the country was headed in the wrong direction as opposed to 41% female. Alternatively, more women (44%) were positive compared to men (34%).

As for household income, 45% of those earning less than RM2,000 a month felt the country was in a good direction as opposed to their counterparts with income ranging from RM2,000 to RM7,000.

Malaysians from the east coast were optimistic about the country’s direction, while those in the northern, central and southern regions felt the country was not heading in the right direction.

“In terms of issues of personal concern to voters, economic conditions remain topmost concern at 57% followed by the pandemic at 16%, while politics was a distant third, expressed only by 2.4% of those interviewed,” Merdeka Centre said.

“Majority of respondents across all categories said their personal financial condition had deteriorated compared to a year ago.

“The concern over the economy is underpinned by voters’ own personal financial conditions where 57% reported that their conditions were ‘worse off’ compared with a year ago, before the full impact of the pandemic-imposed movement-controls.”

“On their views of the national economy, 68% felt national economic conditions were negative compared with a year ago.

“These sentiments weigh highly on voters’ views on the government’s handling of the economy. The survey found 51% were satisfied with the government’s management of the economy while 43% were not satisfied,” the survey added. – April 23, 2021.