June 16th, 2021, Kim Ho
Nearly six in ten believe the Government is handling the pandemic poorly
YouGov latest polling shows that Malaysian voters are deeply worried about the Covid-19 situation in the country, and that most believe the Government is handling the pandemic poorly.
As events rapidly unfold, data shows that 81% believe the Covid-19 situation in Malaysia is getting worse, compared with just 13% who believe it is getting better, and 6% who don’t know. While concern about the situation is widespread, those in the most urbanised parts of Malaysia around Kuala Lumpur are the most pessimistic, with almost nine in ten (89%) believing the situation is getting worse.
At the same time, nearly six in ten Malaysians (56%) believe the Muhyiddin Government is handling the situation badly are currently worried about the future of the nation, compared to 40% who believe that they are handling it well. Just 4% are on the fence. Those from urbanised parts of Malaysia are more likely to say the Government is handling the situation badly (64%).
The Covid-19 situation is causing political problems for the Malaysian Government, to the point where just a third of Malaysia’s voters (34%) believe that the Perikatan Nasional Government led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin deserves to be re-elected. Almost six in ten (55%) believe ‘it’s time to give someone else a go’ while 11% are on the fence.
YouGov Head of Public Affairs and Polling Asia-Pacific Dr. Campbell White says, “The Government’s decision to ask for a state of emergency to be declared and to suspend parliament effectively meant they took the responsibility for the Covid-19 response entirely on their own shoulders. The worsening situation – something by no means unique to Malaysia during this pandemic – is testing the political goodwill extended to most other ruling parties globally”.
***Results based on 1,031 Malaysian Citizens polled by YouGov from 3 to 8 June 2021. The data weighted to ensure representative by race, age, gender and location.