Pollster Bill Johnson

JAMAICA IS a ship that is being steered off course, most Jamaicans seem to believe.

The most recent Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson polls found that a mere 17 per cent of Jamaicans believe that things are heading in the right direction, a more than 10 per cent decline in 10 months.

In August last year, a few weeks before the September 3 general election, 28 per cent of Jamaicans said things were heading in the right direction.

The Johnson polls were conducted among 1,008 Jamaicans across 84 communities in Jamaica's 14 parishes, on May 31 and June 1. It has a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent.

The 'driver'

Jamaicans changed government nearly nine months ago, installing the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) at the expense of the People's National Party (PNP), which had held the reins of government for 18 years. Bruce Golding, who had dubbed himself the 'driver' in the campaign, assumed the job of prime minister.

However, less than a year into the JLP administration, 63 per cent of Jamaicans sampled said things were heading in the wrong direction. In August, some 54 per cent of the sample said things were heading in the wrong direction.

In November, the first Johnson poll conducted after the general election found that 22 per cent of Jamaicans believed the country was heading in the right direction. This was a sharp six per cent decline when compared to the August figures.

Meanwhile, crime is perhaps the chief reason most Jamaicans believe things are going in the wrong direction. More than 700 persons have been murdered since the start of the year.

Crime and violence

Johnson found that 74 per cent of Jamaicans consider crime and violence to be the most pressing problem facing the country at this time. The figure represents an 11 per cent increase over November.

Crime and violence is also the most pressing problem/greatest local need for 86 per cent of Jamaicans.

A general increase in prices has also prompted 19 per cent of the country to list inflation as the second most pressing problem facing the country. In August, only three per cent of Jamaicans saw inflation as a pressing problem.

The need for jobs has fallen from 68 per cent to 55 per cent as the greatest local need, while cost of living has moved 17 percentage points upward to 20 per cent and is now the third most pressing local need.