The Premier's approval ratings have been given a sharp boost over the last two months - with endorsement of his personal popularity and his professional handling of the job showing a marked rise.

The Premier's favourability rating went up for the second poll running - up by five percent to 50.6 percent while Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons remains stuck on 43.2 percent.

Mr. Scott's job handling rating leapt by nearly ten percent to 42.7 percent, however, 44.7 percent disapproved, with 12.7 percent unsure.

The telephone poll of 403 people was conducted by Research Innovations between May 13 and 20 - hard on the heals of the Premier's half-hour broadcast in which he plugged the Social Agenda and vowed his Ministers would “recommit” themselves to integrity.

The Premier is continuing to make gains in support among young people with 45.8 percent approving with 44.6 against.

But his core support is among blacks - 56.5 percent like the job he is doing compared with 28.4 percent against while only 16.9 percent of whites are in favour with 76.9 percent against.

Lower income brackets favour Mr. Scott slightly more than those more wealthy groups but there is only six percentage points in it. The poll's margin of error is 4.9.

Dr. Gibbons scores well in the low income brackets with 55.2 percent of those earning less than $50,000 in favour. But, according to the poll, the more people make the less likely they are to rate him.

In the more than $50,000 bracket, 39.9 percent are in favour and 43.7 percent against while in the more than $100,000 bracket, only 34.1 percent like him and 49.4 percent are against.

It is a complete reversal of the last poll in which 52.9 percent of high earners gave him the thumbs up.

In the two months since the last poll, more people seem to have made up their minds about Dr. Gibbons with his unfavourable rating climbing from 27.3 percent to 40.7 percent as the numbers of “don't knows” have been slashed in half.

Only 28 percent of blacks give Dr. Gibbons a favourable rating compared to 62.3 percent of whites and 100 percent of Asians. However, only two Asians were polled (and both gave a “not sure” answer in their rating of Alex Scott).

Generally people have a pessimistic view of the nation with 55.8 percent dissatisfied with “the way things are going in Bermuda” - virtually unchanged since the last time around while while 39.2 percent are satisfied - up from 34.4 percent last time.

PLP spokesman Scott Simmons said the encouraging poll showed Government's Social Agenda is being accepted.

“The Premier's conversation with the nation struck a chord with Bermudians who saw a fellow Bermudian who understood their feelings.”

UBP spokesman Jamahl Simmons said the only polls which matter are those on election day.