From Iceland — Public Support of Government Increases Slightly

Public Support of Government Increases Slightly

Published October 19, 2009

A recent survey conducted by Fréttablaðið shows public support for the government increase by a small margin since July, but is still supported by less than half of respondents.
45.5% of those who took the survey said they support the government; up from 43% last July. Gunnar Helgi Kristinsson, a professor of politic science at the University of Iceland, told Vísir, “This is inside the margin of error from the previous survey, and says the same story – the government is in trouble.”
Looking at the data more closely, more women than men support the government – 47.8% versus 43.4% respectively. Those who live in the capital are generally more positive towards the government than those who live in the countryside, with 48.1% of the former and 41.8% of the latter expressing approval of the government’s job so far.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, voters of the two parties in power – the Social Democrats and the Leftist-Greens – show overwhelming support for the government; at 93% and 85% respectively. Voters of the conservatives – who were ousted last year in the midst of protests – showed the least support, at 3.7%, while 12% of Progressives said the same.
800 people in total were surveyed by phone, with 88% taking part.

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