SHAH ALAM - The majority of Malaysians are expected to take part in the 15th General Election (GE15) this Saturday.
Based on a survey conducted by UCSI University's Poll Research Centre on public perception of the election, 73 per cent of the 1,765 positive respondents would go out to vote in their respective places.
Meanwhile, 318 of the 1,765 respondents were first-time voters aged between 18 and 22 years old involving 1,002 from urban areas and 763 from rural areas.
First-time voters are also more inclined to support BN with a percentage reaching 44 per cent; Pakatan Harapan (PH-30 per cent) and Perikatan Nasional (PN-15 per cent).
Of those, 34 per cent of respondents would vote based on the party or coalition while another 23 per cent were voting based on the candidate.
In addition, 37 per cent considered the party and the candidate while six per cent had no response.
The survey also found that 847 people agreed that individuals involved in court cases should not be candidates for GE15 while 43 per cent or 759 people thought otherwise as long as the individuals involved had not been found guilty by the courts.
Besides that, caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was still the choice to hold the position after GE15 with 24 per cent of the votes while Pakatan Harapan (PH) president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim received 22 per cent of the votes.
Among them, Ismail Sabri was the choice of the Malays while Anwar Ibrahim was the choice of the Chinese.
Additionally, they also named Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (15 per cent); Perikatan Nasional chairman, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (10 per cent); Pas president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang (8 per cent); Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (4 per cent) and Parti Pejuang Tanah Air chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (2 per cent).
According to the survey, 52 per cent of urban voters are more likely to support PH while 60 per cent of rural voters are more likely to support BN.
The main issues of concern for the new government to manage include the overhaul of the country's economy, the stability of governance, promoting harmony and unity and the eradication of corruption.