Most Jamaicans seem to have accepted that much of the country's present economic problems are being caused by global conditions and not mismanagement by the Bruce Golding administration.

But that does not mean that Jamaicans have absolved present and past administrations.

While nine out of every 10 Jamaicans agree that the country is in the middle of a major economic crisis, there is no consensus on who or what is to blame.

The latest Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll found that 65 per cent of Jamaicans point to world circumstances for the pickle in which Jamaica finds itself.

However, 24 per cent blame Bruce Golding and his team while 21 per cent point the finger at the People's National Party administration which governed the country for 18 years up to September 2007.

"Fourteen per cent of the people think they are better off now than they were before the last election and almost two-thirds, 64 per cent, say they are worse off. The reasons they feel they are worse off are the rising unemployment and perceptions of increases in the cost of living," Johnson noted.

The pollster also found that Golding and his team were rated behind the PNP when the respondents were asked which of the two major political parties would be better able to deal with the economic crisis.

Better manager?

In the poll conducted on August 8, 9, 14 and 15, Johnson found that most respondents viewed the issue through green- or orange-tinted glasses in responding to the question of which party would be the better manager.

But with a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent, it was a statistical dead heat.

Thirty-six per cent claimed the PNP would be the better captain of the ship of state as Jamaica moves through these turbulent waters, while 33 per cent said the JLP.

"Don't forget that 31 per cent or a third were undecided as to who they believe could do better but, as with all of our results, there is such a direct political connotation. People who voted for the PNP tend to think they would do better while the voters for the JLP think they would do better," explained Johnson.

There was some good news for Golding as he approaches his second anniversary as prime minister, with Johnson finding that half the country expects that their economic situation will be no worse in the next two to three years.

Expected improvement

In fact, 40 per cent of respondents told Johnson that they expect their standard of living to improve by 2011 or 2012 when the next general election is due. Of that number, 14 per cent say they expect their situation to be much better.

"By a four to three ratio, people tend to be more optimistic about the future," noted Johnson, while pointing to the 30 per cent of Jamaicans who are bracing for a decline in their standard of living by 2012.

And even as four in every 10 Jamaicans gave Golding a vote of confidence in his ability to improve their standard of living, the respondents were clear that he needs to tweak if not overhaul his present economic measures.

A worrying 55 per cent said they disapprove of the job the Golding team is doing in handling the economy which has seen higher-than-anticipated interest rates and limited incentives for the productive sector.

Only five per cent of the respondents indicated strong approval for Golding's economic measures, showing that even supporters of his party have reservations about the measures his government has implemented over the past two years.