THE LIVES of most Jamaicans have seemingly taken a turn for the worse within the last two years and Bruce Golding and his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government are being blamed for this plunge, a Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll has found.

The poll, which was commis-sioned to coincide with The Gleaner's review of the two-year-old Bruce Golding administration, found that 64 per cent of Jamaicans think things are worse off in the country than they were two years ago.

Only 14 per cent of the 1,008 residents of Jamaica interviewed by Johnson and his team of researchers on August 8, 9, 14 and 15 say things in Jamaica are better now than they were two years ago.

JLP still has support

Eighteen per cent of those surveyed believe things are about the same, not better or worse than they were two years ago, while three per cent say they don't know.

Johnson, whose poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent, said there was a strong correlation between the views people hold and their political leanings. He said, however, that it does not mean the JLP has lost public support.

"It does not speak well for the JLP, but I don't think that it speaks poorly for them either," Johnson said.

2007 poll

In 2007, the JLP won state power from the People's National Party (PNP) after securing 32 of 60 seats in the House of Representatives. The JLP won the popular vote by just over 3,000 votes.

Johnson's survey found that three per cent of the persons who voted for the Opposition PNP in the general election say they are better off now than two years ago. It also found that 89 per cent say they are worse off, while another eight per cent say things for them have remained the same.

On the other hand, 30 per cent of persons who voted for the JLP say they are better off today, 37 per cent say they are worse off while 29 per cent say their lives have remained the same.

Economic recession a factor

Bruce Golding and the JLP have been blamed for things being worse off than they were two years ago. Some 32 per cent of the respondents have said the JLP government is responsible for things being worse off, while 19 per cent say it is Golding's fault.

Another 13 per cent blame Jamaica's misfortune on the worldwide economic crisis, six per cent blame the PNP for its policies and a similar percentage said Jamaica was worse off because of both political parties.

Meanwhile, Golding and the JLP - with a combined 50 per cent backing - are being lauded for things getting better by the section of the population that say things have improved in the past two years.

Economic issues have pushed crime down the ladder in the minds of persons who believe things have got worse under Golding.

Unemployment and a lack of jobs accounted for 35 per cent of the numbers who think things have got worse while cost of living accounts for 28 per cent of that group of respondents. Crime and violence is the number three reason as identified by nine per cent among respondents.

On the other hand, a combined 35 per cent of the 14 per cent of respondents who say things have got better in the last two years have said life is better in the country because of the abolition of school fees at the secondary level (18 per cent) and abolition of user fees at public-health facilities (17 per cent) as reasons for improvement.

Golding's administration removed user fees at public-health facilities and waived tuition fees at the secondary level after it took state power following the 2007 general election.