Half of Bermudians are unhappy with the direction the Island is heading, although discontent has dropped slightly in the last two months, a new poll indicates today.

Voters were asked if they were pleased with the way things were progressing in Bermuda ? and 50 percent said they were dissatisfied.

One third (34 percent) were happy and 15 percent said they were unsure.

This compares to a 32 percent satisfaction rating in July, when 56 percent of those polled expressed displeasure and eleven percent were uncertain.

The average satisfaction figure for most of 2005 was 38 percent; dissatisfaction stood at 54 percent.

The poll did not ask people what they were unhappy about ? whether it was housing, crime or employment opportunities or something else.

Meanwhile, Bermuda?s buoyant economy continues to win favour with a large chunk of the community.

Asked how they rated economic conditions, 42 percent said they were good. Exactly the same number thought they were fair, with six percent branding them excellent and nine percent stating they were poor.

There were similar trends in July, although then the good rating stood at a higher 54 percent and fair at 31 percent.

Five percent said cash conditions were poor; eight percent rated them excellent.

When quizzed on whether Bermuda?s economy was heading in the right direction, 43 percent thought it was.

Nearly a third disagreed (30 percent) and a quarter could not make up their minds.

Those results are also similar to two months ago when 39 percent said things were on track and 33 percent disagreed.

The latest statistics are taken from a Research Innovations poll commissioned by The Royal Gazette. It was conducted between September 14 and 17.

The detailed breakdown of the new figures indicate that men are more likely to be impressed with how things are going in Bermuda at this time. A total of 36 percent said they were satisfied, compared to 32 percent of the female vote.

Older voters are less satisfied than their younger counterparts, the poll suggests, with 42 percent of the 18 to 35 age group expressing satisfaction and just over a quarter (26 percent) of those 55 or older having the same rosy outlook.

Dissatisfaction among the older generation, meanwhile, stood at 63 percent compared to 70 percent two months ago.

Half the number of richer voters questioned in the poll said they were unhappy with how things were going in Bermuda, with 36 percent satisfied.

Sixty percent of people with household incomes of $100,000-plus expressed dissatisfaction in the July poll.

The race breakdown shows that blacks are happier than whites with the way things are going on the Island.

Nearly 40 percent of blacks polled said they were satisfied, compared to 47 percent who were not.

A third of whites were happy, with 55 percent unimpressed.

When it came to the question on economic conditions, middle aged voters seemed less impressed than younger or older ones.

Only four percent of 36 to 54 year olds said they were excellent, in contrast to seven percent of 18 to 35s and those 55 and over.

And the number of middle-aged people who thought conditions were good dropped from 66 percent in July. It now stands at 44 percent.

Poorer voters have a mixed verdict on how the economy was treating them. Seven percent reckoned conditions were excellent and nearly 30 percent thought they were good.

In July, nobody from those polled with household incomes of less than $50,000 described conditions as excellent, although 53 percent said they were good.

Economic satisfaction among the middle classes, meanwhile, seems to have dropped.

Almost five percent thought conditions were excellent, down from 15 percent two months ago.

Those who thought conditions were good also dropped, from 53 to 41 percent.

Good ratings from high earners also dipped from 77 percent in July to 52 percent.

The same question saw the good rating from blacks dip from 50 to 40 percent.

Meanwhile, half of blacks questioned in the survey thought the economy was heading in the right direction, with 25 percent disagreeing.

In July, 42 percent thought it was on the right track. Now 34 percent of whites think the economy is on a good footing; nearly 40 percent disagreed.

The margin of error on the poll is 4.9 percent and 401 people were quizzed.