Public support for the Progressive Labour Party is currently almost double that for the Opposition, according to a new poll.

Around 36 percent of people said they would have voted for the PLP in an end-of-January election, compared to just under 19 percent who would have opted for the United Bermuda Party.

UBP leader Wayne Furbert's popularity has sunk to a new low, with just one in five people saying they have a favourable opinion of him.

Meanwhile, Premier Ewart Brown has retained much of his public backing, with around half in favour of him and approving of his handling of his position so far.

Hundreds of people were quizzed in the telephone poll between January 18 and January 21, shortly after the UBP was plunged into crisis following two key resignations amid a race row.

Shadow Minister Jamahl Simmons quit the UBP on January 8 and chair Gwyneth Rawlins resigned nine days later, both claiming a white elitist clique was running the party.

The UBP figure for an election vote is down from 25 percent in a similar survey three months ago and 27 percent in September last year.

The PLP's rating has also fallen, but less dramatically, from 39 percent.

The number of people refusing to answer the question on an election climbed from 18 percent to 26 percent.

Just a few months ago, polls were suggesting an election would produce a close race, with PLP support at 33 percent and the UBP at 32 percent in July last year.

Mr. Furbert — who was urged to quit by one of his own party members after last month's resignations — has seen his popularity with the public cut in half since last July.

Twenty percent of voters said they had a favourable opinion of the Opposition Leader in the new poll, down from 32 percent three months ago. In July, a few months after he took the position, the figure stood at 41 percent.

The survey shows more than 46 percent have an unfavourable opinion of Mr. Furbert, up from 34 percent three months ago, with 33 percent unsure, slightly down from 34 percent.

Three months into his Premiership, nearly 48 percent approve of the way Dr. Brown is handling his role, with 25 percent disapproving and 27 percent unsure.

Nearly 52 percent now have a favourable opinion of Dr. Brown, down from 54 percent at the time of the last poll, when the Premier was still in his honeymoon period as leader.

Those with an unfavourable opinion have risen from 17 percent to more than 28 percent, while 20 percent are unsure, down from 29 percent.

A breakdown of the results shows some changes in the way racial groups would cast their votes.

The proportion of blacks who said they would vote PLP in an election has dropped steeply, from 73 percent to 58 percent, while the number of blacks supporting the UBP has dropped from 8 percent to 5 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of blacks who said they would abstain from voting has shot up from 1 percent to 14 percent.

Among whites, support for the PLP has grown slightly, from 4 percent to 5 percent, while white support for the UBP has dropped from 48 percent to 46 percent.

Support for Mr. Furbert fell among blacks, from 23 percent to 17 percent having a favourable opinion. About 55 percent of blacks now have an unfavourable view, up from 47 percent. Nearly 28 percent were unsure, down from 31 percent.

Whites views on Mr. Furbert have also dipped, with 27 percent having a favourable opinion, compared with 42 percent three months ago. Nearly 33 percent have an unfavourable opinion, up from 18 percent. Just under 40 percent said they were unsure, slightly up from 39 percent.

Blacks' support of Dr. Brown remains unchanged at a strong 72 percent, although the proportion of blacks with an unfavourable opinion of the Premier has leapt from 7 percent to 16 percent. About 12 percent are unsure, down from 21 percent.

Among whites, 28 percent have a favourable opinion of the Premier, down from 36 percent, while 45 percent see him as unfavourable, up from 30 percent. Just under 27 percent are unsure, down from 34 percent.

Responding to the survey, Dr. Brown said: "It shows we have work to do in order to reach our goals. I believe when voters see how much this Government has actually achieved, the numbers will improve."

A UBP source said: "We are not surprised by these results. It's clear that they reflect the turmoil of the last few weeks. If these situations had not happened, we believe our rating would be higher. But we believe we can bounce back from this."

The phone survey of 411 people was carried out by Research Innovations.

*See tomorrow's Royal Gazette for results on Independence.

PLP pulling away from Opposition