CHARLOTTE AMALIE — IAM, LLC has released the results of the first set of 2022 USVI Election Polls. IAM embarked on surveying residents in the USVI on various possible political aspirants and incumbents for the 2022 gubernatorial election.
Over 400 residents responded with whom they would vote for from potential gubernatorial candidates that have been spoken about in the community leading up
to the filing of nomination papers this month.
The responses for gubernatorial candidates were weighted to reflect the current number of registered voters. The survey showed that territory-wide incumbent Governor Albert Bryan is the most favorable choice, with 33%* (weighted) of survey respondents indicating they would vote for him in this year’s gubernatorial election compared to Senator Kurt Vialet, as the second most favored candidate at 29%* (weighted). Interestingly, 16% of participants (the third most popular choice) would vote for none of the proposed candidates in the survey.
These choices for the next USVI governor varied for each island in the USVI. St. Croix’s responses were more favorable for Senator Vialet, with 44.9% favoring Senator Vialet and 20.2% choosing Governor Bryan. St. Thomas had the most robust support for the current Governor, with 46.2% selecting Governor Bryan and 14% favoring Senator Vialet. St. John was similar to St. Thomas, with 37.5% favoring Governor Bryan and 18.8% preferring Senator Vialet.
The survey asked demographic type questions such as age, gender, and the island of residence.
The average age was fifty-three years old for participants, with 65% of participants being female and 63% being from the island of St. Croix. Overall, 81% of survey respondents stated that they would vote in the 2022 USVI Elections.
Residents participating in the survey were also asked to rate their level of satisfaction with the performance of Governor Bryan and the sitting senators for each district. The responses on the Governor’s performance were weighted to reflect the current number of registered voters.
Overall, 45.5%* (weighted) of participants in the USVI were dissatisfied with the current
Governor’s performance. This sentiment varied differently by island, with St. Croix participants being the sharpest critics, with 56% being dissatisfied compared to 53% of St. Thomas participants being satisfied with the Governor’s performance. St. John participants were also critical of the Governor’s performance, with 50% stating that they were not satisfied.
For senators in the USVI, responses on their performance were calculated with a weighted ranking system for respondents’ satisfaction with a senator’s performance; for the St. Croix district, the ranking is 1st Sen. Vialet, 2nd Sen. Francis, 3rd Sen. Gittens, 4th Sen. Carrion, 5th Sen. Johnson, 6th Sen. James, and 7th Sen. Whitaker. On St. Thomas, the ranking of satisfaction with a senator’s performance is 1st Sen. Frett-Gregory, 2nd Sen. Sarauw, 3rd Sen. Potter, 4th Sen. DeGraff, 5th Sen. Francis-Heyliger, 6th Sen. Joseph, and 7th Sen. Blyden. On the island of St. John, 57% of participants were dissatisfied with the performance of Sen. Payne.
IAM will be conducting additional polls throughout the 2022 election process until the general election in November. Interactive data and more information about the survey results are available on the IAM website at www.islandanalyticsvi.com/usvielectionpollresults.
The goal is to provide the community with a way to assess the performance and engagement of candidates during the election process. Participation in this and future election surveys will be anonymous.
IAM is a company based in the US Virgin Islands that seeks to build an in-depth understanding of the Virgin Islands’ unique cultural, socio-economic, and political landscape. Its vision is to see a “data-driven US Virgin Islands.”
For more information on IAM, please visit www.islandanlyticsvi.com, or email us at [email protected]