Newshub poll: Bill English languishes in popularity compared to John Key

Bill English not as popular as John Key: poll
John Key and Bill English at the 2016 budget announcement (Getty)

Bill English has nothing on his predecessor when it comes to popularity.

A Newshub-Reid Research poll released on Tuesday has found the new Prime Minister is 11 points behind where John Key ranked in the preferred Prime Minister rankings.

Mr English is on 25 percent in the preferred Prime Minister stakes, compared to John Key's result in August last year of 36.7 percent - which was also his worst.

John Key averaged more than 40 percent support in the poll for most of his time in office.

Newshub poll: Bill English languishes in popularity compared to John Key

There has been a concerted effort by the Prime Minister's office to make English more relatable - encouraging his personality and humour to show through, and by getting him out in the community doing things like shearing sheep.

But Brand English clearly isn't resonating with the voters like Brand Key did - and six months out from an election that will have National worried.

The Newshub poll is a sample of 1000 people, with 25 percent of respondents participating through an internet panel. The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.

The Newshub-Reid Research poll was conducted March 10-19. 1000 people were surveyed, 750 by telephone and 250 by internet panel. It has a margin of error of 3.1%.

Newshub.