CLOSE TO a third of all persons interviewed in the western parishes of Hanover, Westmoreland, St. James and Trelawny say they will vote for the PNP in the upcoming general election.
This is the finding of a public opinion poll done for The Gleaner by Don Anderson and his team from Market Research Services Ltd. from March 22 to April 8, 2002. A total of 1,177 persons, aged 18 years and over from more than 75 communities islandwide, were interviewed in the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 per cent.
A total of 32.7 per cent of all persons interviewed in the four parishes, which account for 11 of the island's 60 constituencies, say they will vote for the PNP, compared to 22.6 per cent who say they will vote for the JLP. This represents a lead of some 10 percentage points for the PNP in parishes which traditionally have had a great impact on the outcome of national elections. The PNP now represents those 11 constituencies in Parliament.
A total of 1.4 per cent of the persons interviewed say they will vote for the UPP and 0.4 per cent say they will vote for the NDM.
A total of 40.7 per cent say they either will not vote or have not yet made up their minds whether they will or for which party they will vote.
