Opposition leader Wayne Furbert could be struggling to convince voters he should be Bermuda?s next Premier, a new poll indicates today.

Nearly half of those quizzed in a survey said they were not sure when asked whether their opinion of Mr. Furbert was favourable or unfavourable.

This undecided total of 43 percent has risen from 30 percent since the last political snapshot was taken in July. Mr. Furbert?s popularity is also down, according to the poll, with the percentage of voters saying their opinion of him was favourable dipping from 41 percent in July to 34 percent in September.

However, in March, just after he replaced Grant Gibbons as UBP leader, only 28 percent of people polled said they were in favour of Mr. Furbert.

The survey also shows Premier Alex Scott?s popularity down. His favourable rating dipped from 51 percent in May, to 46 percent in July, down to 42 per cent in September.

And nearly one in five voters said they were unsure when asked their opinion on the PLP leader.

One commentator told that the survey figures pointed towards a general decline in voter confidence when it came to politicians.

?There?s an overall decline in people?s opinions of political leaders,? he said. ?Voters think they are not really adequately addressing important issues. This effects both the Premier and the Opposition leader.?

He added that any fall in popularity could impact on both party leaders ? potentially fuelling speculation that a rival might challenge Alex Scott?s leadership at this month?s PLP party conference, while at the same time it could lead some UBP members to question whether Mr. Furbert was the right man to win them the next election.

?Being undecided is a polite way of saying we do not think you?re good enough,? the commentator added.

The results emerged from the latest Research Innovations poll, conducted between September 14 and 17.

As reported yesterday, results showed that if an election had been held in the last two weeks the PLP would have narrowly secured a third term.

Some 15 per cent of people, however, said they would not have voted for either main party.

A detailed breakdown of the popularity survey showed that 54 percent of black voters polled saw Mr. Scott in a favourable light.

A total of 27 percent had an unfavourable view. With white voters, Mr. Scott was given the thumbs up by a quarter of those polled; a total of 57 percent were not impressed.

Meanwhile, Mr. Furbert got the backing of 30 percent of black voters questioned; 32 percent said their opinion was not favourable.

With whites, 43 percent gave their backing while four per cent said they did not like him.

More people in the lower income bracket back Mr. Scott. Some 41 percent of those polled with a household income of less than $50,000 were in favour of the Premier; 31 percent were opposed.

In the same category, just 15 percent gave Mr. Furbert a favourable rating, with 32 percent against.

Nearly half of those polled in the top earning tier of $100,000-plus backed Mr. Furbert; 11 per cent gave him the thumbs down.

For the Premier, 43 percent of high earners gave their support. The same percentage were unimpressed.

Responding to the results, PLP spokesman Scott Simmons last night said that the poll had been conducted at a time when Government was making some tough decisions.

This was reflected in the results, he added. On Mr. Furbert?s personal standing in the polls, he stated: ?When you choose a leader of your party strictly based on race you have a recipe for non-acceptance.

?He has failed to resonate in the wider community, has been short on solutions and unconvincingly reactionary.?

A UBP spokesman said: ?We are encouraged by the poll. We note the steady decline in support for the PLP Government over the past six months.

?We note Mr. Scott?s high unfavourable rating (37 percent, compared to Mr. Furbert?s 22 percent). We note the increasing number of undecided voters looking for answers ? all before Mr. Furbert and the United Bermuda Party name more candidates and release policies that we believe will go a long way to answering the needs of Bermudians who need help.?

He added: ?We also note that our support has remained steady during a period of leadership transition. The outlook as far as we?re concerned could not be better.?