KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 — One in two respondents in a survey conducted by Emir Research indicated they are unsure about the direction of the country, the standing of the economy, and the viability of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

Thirty per cent said they believed the country was going the right way while the remaining 20 per cent felt the current trajectory was wrong.

"Yet, about the same percentage of respondents as in the previous quarterly poll are positive about changes in their lives (39 per cent) and optimistic about their future (53 per cent).

"We observe the respondents’ agreement with the three statements has been dwindling (while disagreement increasing) before the change in government in March 2020,” Emir Research said in its findings released today.

Emir Research is led by Datuk Rais Hussin who was appointed as Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation chairman late last year.

The research also noted a marked increase in agreement and comparable decrease in disagreement since the current government came to power in early March 2020.

However, the firm said negative views were starting to rise again.

The research found that in the final quarter of 2020, 19 per cent of the respondents disagreed with the country’s future direction compared to only 8 per cent in the preceding quarter.

Also, 27 per cent of respondents in 4Q20 versus 16 per cent in 3Q20 disagree the country’s economy is on a strong footing.

"Significantly more respondents disagree with the incumbent government’s viability — 19 per cent in this poll versus 9 per cent in 3Q20,” the report said.

By demographic, more rural dwellers agreed that the country’s economy is on a strong footing, and that the PN government is viable.

More Malay and Bumiputera respondents also agree that the country’s current direction is on the right track, the economy being on a strong footing and the government’s viability, compared to Chinese and Indian respondents.

"The Malay and Bumiputera respondents are also more positive about changes in their lives now compared to a year ago and more optimistic on their future expectations compared to the Chinese and Indian respondents,” the report said.

The research was conducted last December involving some 1,976 respondents from all the states in the country.

Among the objectives of the poll is to assess the perceived direction of the country and living condition among the people.