HORIZON RESEARCH – DEBATE SURVEY RESULT FINAL

RadioLIVE-HorizonPoll: Goff wins leaders’ debate poll by 7.4%

Labour leader Phil Goff won the first major televised debate with John Key by 7.4%.

Mr Goff scores 41%, Mr Key 33.6% in a nationwide poll of New Zealanders who were asked who won the debate.

The RadioLIVE-HorizonPoll survey of 534 debate viewers, taken the day after thje debate, is weighted by age, gender, region, ethnicity, personal income and party vote 2008 to provide a representative population sample. The maximum margin of error is ± 4.2%.

Each leader scores positive ratings on their personal debating performances:

• 53.3% think Mr Key’s performance was good to very good (17.8% very good) while 19.2% though it poor and 20.4% are neutral.
• 54.7%% think Mr Goff’s performance was good (21.1% very good), while 16.8% thought it poor and 24.3% are neutral.

66.2% of people who voted National in 2008 say Mr Key won the debate, 19.1% thought Mr Goff won.

63.8% of people who voted Labour thought Mr Goff won, 8.6% thought Mr Key did.

Among the 187,000 registered electors who chose not to vote in 2008, an important group in this year’s election if they decide to turn out, 43.7% thought Mr Goff won, 15% Mr Key.

Tables results by 2008 party vote are available at http://www.horizonpoll.co.nz/page/167/leaders-debate-final-result-goff-wins-by-7-4

Survey timing timing: 8 am – 6pm 1 November 2011 This updates an interim result issued November 1.

Horizon research is scientifically conducted using a weighted random select of members of its nationwide HorizonPoll panel, 95% of whom recruited by e-mail invitation to match the New Zealand population at the 2006 census. Respondent samples are further weighted to ensure a representative population sample.

Results of this survey may be used with accreditation to Horizon Research Limited http://www.horizonpoll.co.nz

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