Support for NPP/JVP and SJB falls: Poll

Saturday, 29 July 2023 01:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

General Election Voting Intentions Update June 2023 points to growing voter disillusionment with all established parties in June 2023

In the latest Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) polling in June 2023, support amongst likely voters for the NPP/JVP fell 5 points and for the SJB 4 points from May to 23% each.

The UNP saw no gains, with a big increase of 7 points to 28% in the share of voters saying they would vote for other parties.

In the four months since February, the two leading parties, the NPP/JVP and SJB, have experienced substantial declines in support in the SLOTS polling, with the share of voters saying they would vote for other minor and unnamed parties increasing by 17 points to 28%.

The UNP and SLPP have seen modest gains, but support for the UNP seems to be plateauing at one in ten likely voters, neck and neck with support for the SLPP.

“Other” parties in the SLOTS polling includes both smaller parties that ran in the 2020 General Elections, such as the AITC and OPPP, as well responses where respondents indicated they would vote another unnamed party.

SLOTS polling Director Dr. Ravi Rannan-Eliya revealed that in most cases these respondents are opting for an unnamed other party, and that the SLOTS poll is working on identifying these further. He also commented that whilst the “Other” category in the SLOTS polling in late 2021 was probably dominated by respondents who were too shy to voice opposition to the ruling party, the recent increase in this category seems to signal growing disillusionment with all the established parties in both government and in opposition.

IHP is an independent, non-partisan research centre based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The SLOTS lead investigator is Dr. Ravi Rannan-Eliya of IHP, who has trained in public opinion polling at Harvard University and has conducted numerous surveys over three decades.