Some 65% support reelection of Danilo; 62% favor changing the Constitution
An estimated 56% feel he is "honest and trustworthy"
Diario Libre
SANTO DOMINGO. If they were given the opportunity, an ample majority of Dominican voters - 65% - would vote to reelect President Danilo Medina according to a recent nationwide survey carried out by the Greenburg Quinlan Rosner firm for the Diario Libre.
Nearly 2/3 of the people surveyed said that they would vote for his reelection, with 56% saying that they would certainly vote for Medina. Less than a third, around 22%, said they would vote for someone else. The support for the potential reelection of Medina is noted across party lines. Including a majority (51%) of those that voted for Hipolito Mejia in the 2012 presidential elections who say they would vote to reelect Medina.
The national survey was carried out between 12 and 16 October and was designed and analyzed by Greenburg Quinlan Rosner Research, an international polling company based in Washington, D.C., with offices around the world, including a Latin American office in Buenos Aires. A total of 846 adult Dominicans were surveyed. The margin of error of the random sample is more or less 3.4%, with a confidence interval of 95%.
The popularity of Danilo, pushed by social issues and his personal character, goes beyond the traditional support of the PLD.
By a wide majority, the voters approve of the work that Danilo Medina is doing as President. Some 91% of the Dominicans approve of his work, with 62% saying that they approve it strongly. The same as regarding his possibilities for reelection, the approval of his work is similar throughout the political groups: 88% of those that voted for Mejia approve the work that Medina is doing. And 86% of those that identify themselves as members of the PRD approved his work.
Medina's popularity is tied to his work in the social programs and in the social expenditure. The majority of Dominicans say that healthcare is improving in the country and nearly 92% say that education is improving.
The emphasis by Medina on education - from the inauguration of schools all over the country to dedicating RD $119.4 billion in the 2015 budget for education - is without a doubt pushing his levels of acceptance upwards.
Among all the national figures, Medina has a strong advantage on social issues. Some 77% of Dominicans say that of all the national leaders, Medina would be the person who would do most to improve education. And this translates into personal strengths also. About 56% think "honest and trustworthy" are the words that best describe Medina, while Fernandez has 9% and Mejia 8%. And 59% say that "he worries about people like me," best describes Medina compared with 9% for Mejia and 7% for Fernandez.
As a result, the voters say that the best reason to support the current President is that he is humble and he worries about the poor. Nearly three-fourths (74%) indicated this as the best reason to support him, followed by the fact that he has continued what was good from former President Fernandez (31%).
All this put together means that a majority of the voters supported changing the Constitution in order to permit the reelection of Medina. 72% say that they approve a change of the Constitution in order to permit the consecutive reelection, while 36% say they oppose this.
Of course, the members of the PLD strongly support the change (71% support a reform of the Constitution), but even members of the PRD and those that voted for Mejia are open to permitting the constitutional change by 49% and 54% respectively.
"Danilo Medina has been able to expand his support beyond the traditional PLD base," said Jessica Reis, a senior associate at Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, who led the survey. "His levels of approval are astronomically high - any world leader would envy them - but it is certainly the manner in which he has been capable of attracting the former voters from the PRD and others outside his own party which make his reelection and the constitutional reform so popular among voters."
The data sheet
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, and international polling firm, with headquarters in Washington, DC, in the United States, and offices around the world, conducted and analyzed the survey for the Diario Libre. They interviewed 846 adult Dominicans, although our probable voters. The survey was carried out between 12 and 16 October 2014. The margin of error of the samples of the 846 is more or less 3.4% with a confidence interval of 95%.
Nearly 2/3 of the people surveyed said that they would vote for his reelection, with 56% saying that they would certainly vote for Medina. Less than a third, around 22%, said they would vote for someone else. The support for the potential reelection of Medina is noted across party lines. Including a majority (51%) of those that voted for Hipolito Mejia in the 2012 presidential elections who say they would vote to reelect Medina.
The national survey was carried out between 12 and 16 October and was designed and analyzed by Greenburg Quinlan Rosner Research, an international polling company based in Washington, D.C., with offices around the world, including a Latin American office in Buenos Aires. A total of 846 adult Dominicans were surveyed. The margin of error of the random sample is more or less 3.4%, with a confidence interval of 95%.
The popularity of Danilo, pushed by social issues and his personal character, goes beyond the traditional support of the PLD.
By a wide majority, the voters approve of the work that Danilo Medina is doing as President. Some 91% of the Dominicans approve of his work, with 62% saying that they approve it strongly. The same as regarding his possibilities for reelection, the approval of his work is similar throughout the political groups: 88% of those that voted for Mejia approve the work that Medina is doing. And 86% of those that identify themselves as members of the PRD approved his work.
Medina's popularity is tied to his work in the social programs and in the social expenditure. The majority of Dominicans say that healthcare is improving in the country and nearly 92% say that education is improving.
The emphasis by Medina on education - from the inauguration of schools all over the country to dedicating RD $119.4 billion in the 2015 budget for education - is without a doubt pushing his levels of acceptance upwards.
Among all the national figures, Medina has a strong advantage on social issues. Some 77% of Dominicans say that of all the national leaders, Medina would be the person who would do most to improve education. And this translates into personal strengths also. About 56% think "honest and trustworthy" are the words that best describe Medina, while Fernandez has 9% and Mejia 8%. And 59% say that "he worries about people like me," best describes Medina compared with 9% for Mejia and 7% for Fernandez.
As a result, the voters say that the best reason to support the current President is that he is humble and he worries about the poor. Nearly three-fourths (74%) indicated this as the best reason to support him, followed by the fact that he has continued what was good from former President Fernandez (31%).
All this put together means that a majority of the voters supported changing the Constitution in order to permit the reelection of Medina. 72% say that they approve a change of the Constitution in order to permit the consecutive reelection, while 36% say they oppose this.
Of course, the members of the PLD strongly support the change (71% support a reform of the Constitution), but even members of the PRD and those that voted for Mejia are open to permitting the constitutional change by 49% and 54% respectively.
"Danilo Medina has been able to expand his support beyond the traditional PLD base," said Jessica Reis, a senior associate at Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, who led the survey. "His levels of approval are astronomically high - any world leader would envy them - but it is certainly the manner in which he has been capable of attracting the former voters from the PRD and others outside his own party which make his reelection and the constitutional reform so popular among voters."
The data sheet
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, and international polling firm, with headquarters in Washington, DC, in the United States, and offices around the world, conducted and analyzed the survey for the Diario Libre. They interviewed 846 adult Dominicans, although our probable voters. The survey was carried out between 12 and 16 October 2014. The margin of error of the samples of the 846 is more or less 3.4% with a confidence interval of 95%.
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