Pongsapat leads opinion poll by slight margin

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Pheu Thai Party's gubernatorial candidate Pongsapat Pongcharoen is slightly ahead of his arch-rival, Democrat Sukhumbhand Paribatra, in approval ratings, a survey has found.

An opinion survey conducted by Bangkok University found that Pongsapat enjoyed a 23.9-per-cent rating, compared with Sukhumbhand's 23.6 per cent. The survey also found that 6.5 per cent of the respondents preferred independent candidate Sereepisuth Temeeyaves, while 42.1 per cent said they were still undecided.

The survey, titled the "Popular Rating for the First Lap of the Bangkok Governor Race", was carried out from Monday through Wednesday on 1,607 Bangkok residents aged 18 and over.

The survey also learned that though 88.8 per cent of the respondents knew of the upcoming election, 11.2 per cent said they were unaware of it.

Up to 89.3 per cent of the respondents said they would go to polling stations, 7 per cent said they were still undecided, while 3.7 per cent said they would not exercise their ballot.

As for their vote criteria, 47.8 per cent said they would consider the candidates' qualifications and past performance, 27.3 per cent said they would consider the candidates' policies and 15.8 per cent said they would give weight to the candidate's political party.

Only 3.4 per cent said they would vote for an independent candidate.

As for the problems they want the new Bangkok governor to tackle, 31.1 per cent cited the rising cost of living, 27.7 per cent cited traffic congestion and 13.4 per cent said they wanted the governor to create new jobs. Also, 11.7 per cent of the respondents said they wanted the new governor to tackle crime and theft.

The survey found that 54.6 per cent of the respondents had no trust in the Election Commission's ability to hold a clean and fair election, while 45.4 per cent said they trusted the EC.

-- The Nation 2013-01-26

Why do they talk about slight margins when 40% are still undecided?

Why do they talk about slight margins when 40% are still undecided?

Goebbels speak, known these days I believe as spin doctors