Support for Samfylkingin declines amid controversy over Þórður Snær Júlíusson’s blog posts in Iceland

In recent days, support for the Icelandic political party Samfylkingin has noticeably declined, coinciding with significant discussions surrounding controversial blog posts by Þórður Snær Júlíusson. Reports suggest that these recent blog entries may have resulted in a temporary loss of backing for the party.

The latest Gallup poll indicates a drop of over two percentage points in Samfylkingin’s support over the past two weeks. However, it should be noted that this decline began prior to the emergence of the blog news, as the party’s popularity was already on a downward trajectory. A more recent Gallup survey, focusing solely on the current week, shows a substantial decrease of five percentage points, with variations in support between genders — a three-point decline among men and eight points among women. Meanwhile, rival parties have seen gains, with Viðreisn increasing by four percentage points and the Píratar by two.

Short-term polling tends to have a lower response rate compared to longer-term studies and is more susceptible to fluctuations. It’s common to observe significant shifts week-on-week, which can either revert or continue in the subsequent polls; hence, caution is advised when interpreting individual surveys.

Despite the recent challenges, Samfylkingin remains the largest party according to the current poll, holding just over 18 percent, followed by Viðreisn with 17.5 percent, the Independence Party at 16 percent, and the Progressive Party at 15 percent. The People’s Party stands at 10 percent, while Píratar, Socialists, and the Progressive Party each maintain around 6 percent. The Left Greens have seen a slight increase, reaching just above 4 percent.