Merdeka Center conducted a survey of 805 registered voters from Perak and asked them about their views on the direction of the state, its current economic conditions, their views on government leaders and the changes that they have seen since the Barisan Nasional takeover in February 2009.

MAIN FINDINGS

Only 38% of the voters in Perak feel that the state is headed in the right direction while 44% felt that it was headed in the wrong direction. There was a marked difference along ethnic lines where 57% of Malay respondents and 48% of Indians but only 12% of Chinese respondents believed that the state was headed in the right direction.

It is useful to note however that number of people saying that the state is in the right direction has marginally increased from April 2009, i.e. from 31% to 38%.

Voter sentiments relating to the economy remains mixed and ethnically polarized. Overall however, only 42% of Perakians say that present economic conditions are favorable. With respect to the future, voters are again split with 42% optimistic about the economy while 43% was not optimistic.

The same sentiments were also expressed with the voters’ confidence in the state government’s management of the economy. The survey found that while 60% of Malay respondents were confident, only 19% of ethnic Chinese respondents say that they were confident.