KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 ― PAS was found to be party furthest from young voters’ hearts in a recent poll, compared to ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) and Opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH).
The survey by market research firm Kajidata Research found that only 6.5 per cent of the respondents could relate to the Islamist party, which they also felt was the most unlikely to win the next polls and develop the country.
PAS also received the lowest support from Muslims and Malays, their key target communities. Only 9 per cent Muslims and 10 per cent Malays said they backed PAS.
In all three questions, BN led PH by a considerable margin.
Most of the youths surveyed were also sceptical that PAS could muster support to wrest federal power.
Nearly quarter of the respondents backed BN to remain in power, while 12.4 per cent bet on PH. Only 6.5 per cent rooted for PAS.
PAS was also the least trusted party to develop the country, with merely five per cent of those polled agreeing.
Despite that, when it comes to the ballot, the survey showed that PAS ranked third among the parties that would receive the youth votes ― with 7.1 per cent respondents saying they would vote the party if the general elections are held tomorrow.
BN received the bulk of the vote at 24.2 per cent, followed by PKR (7.8 per cent).
The ruling coalition received considerable support from Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera, and the Orang Asli ― even more than the Malays.
Other PH components trailed behind PAS ― DAP at 2.6 per cent, followed by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (1.9 per cent), and Parti Amanah Negara (0.7 per cent).
Meanwhile, 1.9 per cent said they would not even come out to vote.
The opinion poll, done through phone interviews, was conducted between May 16 and June 1 this year covering a total of random 1,000 Malaysian young adults.
The youths were aged 21 to 35, and were selected across the country based on the voter size in each Parliament seat.
