NNN/Bluedot Poll: Hanover Optimistic About Jamaica’s Direction, St Mary Positive Sentiment Dips

HANOVER PARISH, JAMAICA – Local men sit in the shade of a seaside shack. (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)

An increasing number of voters in Hanover say they believe the country is heading in the right direction while the number of votes in St. Mary who believe the country is heading in the wrong direction has ballooned.

Those are some of the eye catching findings from the latest Nationwide/Bluedot polls, powered by Total Tools.

The polls were conducted between May 2 and 17 and has a margin of error of +/- 2.3 per cent.

A 14 percentage point jump! That’s the increase in te number of people in the northwestern parish of Hanover who say the country is moving in the right direction.

In February 2025, respondents’ positive outlook stood at 26 per cent. That has climbed to 40 per cent.

On the flip, the negative outlook among voters in Hanover has dropped to 35 per cent in this latest edition of the polls. Three months ago in February, it stood at 48 per cent.

In St. Catherine, there’s been a 10 percentage point increase in the number of people who say the country is heading in the right direction. Thirty-eight per cent of them said right. In February, this stood at 28 per cent.

Manchester and Westmoreland have also seen notable increases in positive outlook. The right direction sentiment in Manchester has increased from 28 per cent in February to 37 per cent in May. On the flip, their negative sentiment has dropped six percentage points from 48 per cent to 42 per cent.

In Westmoreland, the positive outlook now stands at 38 per cent, up from 29 per cent. Negative sentiments registered a significant fall from 52 per cent to 41 per cent.

And what of the other parishes?

In Clarendon, 39 per cent said right direction in the latest edition of the polls compared to 38 per cent in February. Negative sentiments among Clarendonians has also dropped from 42 per cent in February to 39 per cent.

In Kingston and St. Andrew, 36 per cent now believe the country is heading in the right direction, up from 31-per cent in the previous poll. Their negative outlook has dropped slightly from 45 per cent to 43 per cent.

Over in St. Elizabeth, there was a slight increase in the right direction outlook moving from 36 per cent to 38 per cent. Similarly in St. James positive outlook moved from 37 per cent in February to 39 per cent in May.

In St. Thomas, 42 per cent said right. It stood at 40 per cent in February. Meanwhile, St, Mary, Portland, St. Ann and Trelawny have registered a fall off in positive outlook.

The biggest drop was registered in St. Mary with a 14 percentage point decline.

Twenty-eight per cent of them said right, compared to 39 per cent who had previously registered a positive outlook in February. On the flip, the negative sentiments now stand at 50 per cent, a huge movement up from 30 per cent in February.

In Portland, 25 per cent say right direction now, compared to 32 per cent in the February poll. Negative sentiments increased by eight percentage points from 34 per cent to 42 per cent.

Over in Trelawny, a shift from 31 per cent positive outlook to 24 per cent. Negative sentiments increased slightly from 49 per cent to 51 per cent.

And in St Ann, positive outlook only saw a one percentage point decline from 31 per cent in February to 30 per cent in May. Negative sentiments increased from 45 per cent to 49 per cent.

Meanwhile, political commentator, Dr. Nadeen Spence says the increased positive outlook about the direction of the country among Hanoverians, may be linked to a shift in activism by the JLP on the ground.

Dr. Nadeen Spence, political commentator.