Holness rejects opinion poll

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has dismissed the findings of a public opinion poll which has him ahead of Opposition Leader Mark Golding by two percentage points and within the margin of error.

Holness, who was speaking after he was nominated at the Waltham Park New Testament Church of God on Monday afternoon, said he does not rely on the RJRGLEANER Communications Group-commissioned Don Anderson polls and does not advise anyone else to do so.

"The truth is, we have commissioned our own polls, and our polls show a scenario that is totally different from what is being painted or portrayed. We don't disclose our polls for good reasons. One of the things, of course, you know, we don't want any complacency to set in," said Holness, who was speaking to journalists outside the nomination centre.

He said the JLP has polled 23 constituencies in which large samples were used and that he is confident in the results.

"Generally, the larger the sample, the more accurate it is," Holness said.

The Anderson poll was conducted by his Market Research Services Limited team between August 2 and 11 among 1,008 registered voters aged 18 and over.

It shows 41 per cent of respondents view Holness favourably, compared to 39 per cent for Golding - a mere two-percentage point gap, which falls within the poll's +-3 per cent margin of error at the 95 per cent confidence level.

In June 2025, Holness was viewed favourably by 38 per cent of respondents, while Golding stood at 30 per cent, suggesting the gap has narrowed sharply over the past two months.

While Holness leads marginally in favourability, 37 per cent of respondents now view him unfavourably, up from 30 per cent in June. For Golding, unfavourability rose from 22 per cent to 27 per cent.

Twenty-two per cent (down from 32 per cent in June) of those polled formed no opinion of the prime minister, while 34 per cent (down from 47 per cent) expressed none on Golding - both lower than in June, indicating growing voter interest or awareness.

We want to hear from you! Email us at star@gleanerjm.com and follow @thejamaicastar on Instagram and on X @JamaicaStar and on Facebook: @TheJamaicaStar