Sir Robert heads Mr Bolger in poll

Press, 22 December 1986, Page 2

Sir Robert heads Mr Bolger in poll

Mr Bolger has slipped back behind Sir Robert Muldoon in the voters’ list of choices for Prime Minister, according to a poll completed this month. In July, when Mr Bolger had been leader of the National Party for four months, his rating had doubled and was 1 point ahead of Sir Robert’s at 14 per cent to 13 per cent. Now Sir Robert has 16 per cent support, his best standing in more than a year, and Mr Bolger has 10 per cent. The Labour Party leader and Prime Minister, Mr Lange, maintains a comfortable lead with 30 per cent of voters preferring him in the office, as shown by the latest “New Zealand Herald”National Research Bureau survey. The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr

Palmer, finds 4 per cent support and the former leader of the New Zealand Party, Mr Bob Jones, 2 per cent. Showing up among the “all others” with a 1 per cent rating is the Mayor of Waitemata, Mr Tim Shadbolt, whose team scored a sweeping success at the local-body elections on October 11. The “Herald”-N.R.B. poll surveyed 2000 eligible voters from November 29 to December 3. Respondents were selected by random probability methods from the 20 main population centres and were interviewed face-to-face. People were asked: “If you were able to vote for any politician in New Zealand to be Prime Minister, for whom would you vote?” The following table compares the responses with those in other polls:

Among the “all others,” a 1 per cent popularity level was recorded by the National Party’s deputy leader, Mr Gair; the Minister of Finance, Mr Douglas; the Minister of Overseas Trade and Marketing, Mr Moore; the former National Party leader, Mr McLay; the member of Parliament for Invercargill, Mr Norman Jones; the member of Parliament for Selwyn, Miss Ruth Richardson; a former National Party Minister, Mr Derek Quigley; and Mr Tim Shadbolt. Copyright 1986—The “New Zealand Herald” TOMORROW: One problem has become a major concern at the head of the “top ten.”

Dec Jul Mar Oct Jul Feb Oct ’86 ’86 ’86 ’85 ’85’ ’85 ’84 % % % % % % % Mr Lange .... 30 29 30 30 26 32 36 Sir Robert .... 16 13 15 17 21 12 11 Mr Bolger .... 10 14 7 6 3 2 2 Mr Palmer .... 4 5 5 6 3 3 3 Mr Bob Jones .... 2 — 2 2 8 5 5 All others .... 10 9 16 14 11 16 16 Don’t know .... 18 21 19 21 20 22 22 None .... 10 9 6 4 8 8 5