The latest estimates from IHP’s SLOTS MRP model (revised 01/2024) shows little changes in voting intention amongst all adults in May 2024. SJB (remains unchanged at 34%) and NPP/JVP (-1%). Both SJB and NPP/JVP are tied with voter support of 34%, followed by SLPP with 13% (-1), UNP with 6% (unchanged) and ITAK with 4% (-1). The May estimates are provisional and are associated with a margin of error of 1–5% for the four leading parties.
The voting intent results for previous months have changed in this update as more data was collected after the last release. Compared to IHP’s May release, estimates of NPP/JVP support in Apr. 2024 were revised by +1 point.
These estimates are for all adults and not for likely voters. They are based on the 01/ 2024 revision of the IHP SLOTS Multilevel Regression and Poststratification (MRP) model. IHP is working on improving its likely voter model and will resume the release of voting intent in likely voters in a future update. It should be noted that differences in voting intent shares between all adults and likely voters have typically been 1–2% for most estimates in the past two years.
This May 2024 update is based on 17,751 interviews conducted across Sri Lanka since Oct. 2021, including 503 interviews carried out in May 2024. IHP’s SLOTS MRP methodology first estimates the relationship between a wide variety of characteristics about respondents and their opinions – in this case, ‘If there was a General Election today, which party would you vote for?’– in a multilevel statistical model. It then uses a large data file that is calibrated to the national population to predict voting intent each month since Oct. 2021, according to what the multilevel model says about their probability of voting for various parties (‘post-stratification’) at each point in time. The multilevel model was estimated 100 times to reflect underlying uncertainties in the model and to obtain margins of error.
About IHP
IHP is an independent, non-partisan research centre based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The SLOTS lead investigator is Dr Ravi Rannan-Eliya of IHP, who has trained in public opinion polling at Harvard University and has conducted numerous surveys over three decades.