The Merdeka Centre survey also found stable and positive voter support for Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and the Barisan Nasional government, the New Sunday Times (NST) newspaper reported yesterday.

The survey was commissioned by the paper's publisher, New Straits Times Press (Malaysia), and carried out this month.

The 1,024 respondents polled throughout peninsular Malaysia - a sample reflecting its population profile - were also satisfied with conditions in the country.

But respondents voiced concerns over some subjects, notably the economy.

In answering an open-ended question, one in five listed price hikes, the rising cost of living, jobs and other economic issues as the 'most important problem affecting Malaysia today'.

Crime and public safety were the second-biggest concern.

The public unease, the survey noted, came in the wake of a recent string of high-profile crimes, such as the rape and murder of eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin.

The third-biggest concern was corruption.

The survey noted that economic issues - the impact on voters of rising world oil prices and a more competitive global economy - would likely shape how they vote in national elections expected early next year.

'The economy's effects on ordinary voters will likely be at the top of voter concerns as we approach elections, followed by the government's ability to deliver on some promises and address ongoing issues including corruption,' said Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian.