KUALA LUMPUR – Pollsters must employ better methods of conducting surveys so as to get in-depth results, given the discrepancies in studies on similar matters, said analysts.
The Malaysian Insight reported that rival research outfits seem to be publishing survey findings that are wildly different from one another, including Merdeka Centre’s poll that said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s approval rating is “sky high”.
“The weakness of telephone polling, for instance, is that it does not give an accurate reading of the respondents. More so, when the political literacy of the respondents is unclear,” Universiti Malaya’s Prof Awang Azman Awang Pawi was quoted as saying.
Commenting on the Merdeka Centre survey showing a 67% approval rating for Muhyiddin, he said accuracy becomes critical when the sample size of respondents is insufficient.
The survey has been panned by many, with some people calling it “inaccurate” on social media, after the Perikatan Nasional administration received backlash as seen from the trending hashtag #KerajaanGagal on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Pakatan Harapan-linked think tank Institut Darul Ehsan’s online poll last month found that only two out of 10 Malaysians have confidence in Muhyiddin’s leadership as prime minister.
A Merdeka Centre official was quoted as saying the outfit will issue a statement on its study tomorrow.
Awang Azman, who heads Malay ethnic studies at UM, said respondents’ political literacy must be taken into consideration, seeing that Malays are not homogenous in their political views.
“A more accurate reading can be obtained only through in-depth interviews. Particularly, if Merdeka (Centre) had asked about the PN government that came out of the Sheraton Move in 2020.”
He said the prime minister should call elections now if it is true that he enjoys 83% support from Malays, and 67% overall.
And, Bersatu and PN should bag the vote, he said, adding that the survey findings’ accuracy can be truly tested only at the ballot box.
Similarly, Ilham Centre executive director Hisomuddin Bakar told the portal that telephone surveys have limitations.
“Unlike others, Ilham conducts face-to-face interviews. I don’t doubt the methodology used by other pollsters to identify the demography of the respondents, but phone interviews are limited.”
He said current political issues are far more complicated, especially among Malay voters, unlike in 2018, when Barisan Nasional was finally toppled after six decades in power.
His studies have found that Malay voters who are pro-government get confused when presented with different scenarios.
“When we asked whom they would vote for between PN and BN/Umno in Malay seats, many replied Umno.
“So, on the one hand, they say they support Muhyiddin or PN, but when asked about voting, they still choose BN.”
That Umno has declared it will go it alone in the 15th general election – without Bersatu – has led to more confusion among the electorate. – The Vibes, April 26, 2021
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