Dissatisfaction with the direction the Island is heading has dropped sharply, according to a new poll carried out in the wake of Ewart Brown becoming Premier.

Voters were polled in the immediate aftermath of Dr. Brown?s first Throne Speech earlier this month.

And nearly 40 percent said they were happy with the way things were going in Bermuda at that time.

This figure stood at 34 percent two months ago, when the last snapshot was taken during the final weeks of Alex Scott?s reign.

A total of 37 percent said they were unhappy with the state of affairs in Bermuda in the latest poll, compared to 50 percent in September.

However, just over 20 percent currently feel unsure about the way things are going, according to the new survey.

The average ?feel good? factor figure for most of 2005 was 38 percent; dissatisfaction stood at 54 percent.

The poll did not ask people to specify what they were happy, or unhappy, about.

Meanwhile, Bermuda?s booming economy continues to get the thumbs up from a large section of the community.

Half of those polled in the latest survey rated economic conditions good, with nearly ten percent branding them excellent.

Of those less satisfied, 35 percent thought the economy was fair ? five percent described it as poor.

Satisfaction with the economy seems to have increased since the last poll two months ago.

In September, 42 percent said financial conditions were good and six percent rated them excellent.

Nine percent said they were poor, with 42 percent stating things were fair. This month?s survey also asked if voters thought the economy was moving in the right, or the wrong direction.

Half of those surveyed said it was on the right footing ? in contrast to 39 percent this summer ? with 16 percent saying it was going the wrong way. Nearly a third were unsure either way.

In September, nearly double the amount of people (30 percent) thought the economy was moving the wrong way, compared to 43 percent who disagreed.

The latest statistics come from a Research Innovations poll carried out for The Royal Gazette between November 3 and 6. This was before Opposition Leader Wayne Furbert had chance to respond to the Throne Speech.

A total of 403 people were quizzed and the margin of error is 4.9 percent.

The detailed breakdown of the statistics show men are still happier than women with the way things are going in Bermuda.

Of the women quizzed, 37 percent said they were satisfied, compared to 43 percent of men.

Older voters are still less likely to be happy, with a third of people in the 55-plus age bracket saying they were content with the state of affairs, in contrast to 45 percent of middle aged voters.

Meanwhile, dissatisfaction among older residents has dropped from 70 percent in July and now stands at 43 percent.

A total of 35 percent of poorer residents, bringing in a household income below $50,000 a year, said they were happy with the way things were going, although nearly half said they were not.

Among richer voters bringing in $100,000-plus, 35 percent expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation. This fell from 50 percent two months ago.

Blacks seemed happier than whites with how things were going, with 48 percent expressing satisfaction compared to nearly a third of whites.

Some 36 percent of blacks and 41 percent of whites were dissatisfied. On the economy, more men (13 percent) than women (six percent) thought it was performing excellently.

And more men (57 percent) than women (46 percent) reckoned it was heading in the right direction.

Middle earners seem more impressed than two months ago.

Twelve percent said the economy was excellent and nearly half ranked it good, compared to nearly five and 41 percent in September.

Nearly 60 percent thought the economy was heading in the right direction under the stewardship of Finance Minister Paula Cox.

A total of 61 percent of blacks polled believe the economy is heading in the right direction, compared to about half in September. Fifteen percent disagreed. And 44 percent of whites said it was on a firm footing, compared to 34 percent two months ago.

The number of whites unhappy with the economic direction of Bermuda now stands at 17 percent ? down from nearly 40 percent in the last survey.