KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 ― The nation's economic state remains the topmost concern for the majority of Malaysians by an overwhelming margin, according to the latest survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center.
Out those polled, 58.8 per cent felt that the economy is the number one concern in the country, followed by health concerns (10.1 per cent), race relations (3.5 per cent), social and public safety at (2.7 per cent), and politics (2.6 per cent).
The survey, which took in 3,415 opinions from all ethnicities from July 15 till August 10, said the top five concerns economically were in order from top to bottom: unemployment and job opportunities, wage issues, high cost of living, unfavorable economic conditions in general and a lack of business opportunities.
“With respect to the biggest problems faced by ordinary Malaysians, the poll shows bread and butter issues remain topmost on their minds. Six out of 10 respondents report being concerned about the economy.
“Affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, health and wellness were the second largest issue voters were concerned about,” said Merdeka Center programme director Ibrahim Suffian.
“Only 3.5 per cent and 2.6 per cent thought race relations and political issues were the country’s main problem, respectively.”
The top five political issues that are on Malaysian’s minds are political instability, poor leadership, corruption in general, people’s welfare and poor administration.
The ethnic Chinese are the most concerned about the political state of the country at 4.1 per cent, while the Malays are the least concerned at 1.9 per cent.
As for ethnic problems, the top concerns were ethnic inequality, lack of unity among Malaysians, and Malays not being united.
The ethnic Chinese (8.1 per cent) and ethnic Indians (6.1 per cent) were the most concerned about race relations while the Malays were at one per cent.
Besides those, issues of corruption (0.9 per cent), education (0.4 per cent), development and infrastructure (0.5 per cent) and administration (0.3 per cent) were all below one per cent.
