The majority of respondents in a survey conducted by Malta Polls on behalf of the PBS programme Xarabank felt that the budget had an overall negative effect on them.
Of the 56.4 per cent who thought the budget affected them badly, 45.9 per cent said the budget affected them "negatively" and 10.5 per cent replied that the effect was "very negative".
The results of the telephone survey were announced during last night's edition of Xarabank.
In total, 1,004 people were contacted for the survey, of whom 404 did not want to participate.
The findings showed that 26.5 per cent of respondents said the budget did not affect them neither negatively nor positively. Those who said the budget affected them positively represented 7.7 per cent of respondents and 1.3 per cent said the budget affected them very positively.
Asked which political party they would vote if a general election was held tomorrow, 41.5 per cent were undecided and 22.6 per cent said they would not vote.
On party preference, 20.3 per cent they would vote Labour and 12.8 per cent would go for the Nationalists. Those who would vote Alternattiva Demokratika represented 2.8 per cent.
Asked how they thought the budget would affect the country, 44.2 per cent said Malta would be affected negatively and 19 per cent that the country would be positively affected. Fifteen per cent replied that the country would be neither affected positively nor negatively, 10.7 per cent were undecided, 8.8 per cent said the effect would be very negative and 2.4 per cent that the effect would be very positive.
Asked whether they agreed that the retirement age should go up to 65, as proposed in the White Paper on Pensions Reform, 68.4 per cent of the sample disagreed, 22 per cent agreed and 9.6 per cent were undecided.
Just under half, or 47.4 per cent, of the respondents said they did not believe the government was capable of controlling the country's deficit. Those who said the government was going to control it represented 32.9 per cent of respondents; 19.7 per cent were undecided.
Respondents were also asked how the surcharge on electricity and water bills would affect them and 88.8 per cent thought it affected them either negatively (62.4 per cent) or very negatively (18.4 per cent). Those who noted they would not be affected either negatively or positively represented 13.7 per cent while 4.1 per cent were undecided. Another 1.5 per cent said they would be affected positively.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Opposition Leader Alfred Sant were very close to each other with regard to the respondents' views on who of them they trust most as a political leader.
Dr Gonzi edged Dr Sant by under two percentage points (28.8 per cent as against 26.9 per cent). Those who trusted neither of them represented 25.9 per cent of respondents and 3.4 per cent preferred Harry Vassallo, the AD chairman.