Polls show majority is ‘anti’

NEW CALEDONIA – Two opinion polls published by media outlets in New Caledonia show that a majority is against independence from France.

Kantar TNS found that 58 per cent were firmly against independence while 12 per cent were for.

With 15 per cent of respondents undecided and 12 per cent declining to answer, the pollsters suggest between 66 and 73 per cent oppose independence.

The I-Scope poll, which was commissioned by the Caledonia TV station, found 60 per cent were against independence and 23 for, with the rest still undecided.

The polls show that only in Kanak settlements pro-independence supporters outnumber opponents.

They also show that the percentage of people opposed to independence increases with age.

French president Emmanuel Macron on Thursday started a three-day visit to New Caledonia – six months before the vote on independence.