More than a third of Londoners think Boris Johnson is a "mayor for the rich", according to a poll published on Monday.
However this has apparently not damaged his chances of winning re-election as he has maintained his lead in the race for City Hall.
This finding, from the latest YouGov survey conducted for the Evening Standard, found that 37% of Londoners felt the Conservative Mayor fought for the wealthy more than any other group.
Only two per cent of people polled said Johnson would focus on the poor, compared with 21 percent for Ken Livingstone.
The Labour candidate was also seen as “particularly keen” to help Muslims, black and Asian Londoners. Yet the results show Labour is failing to reduce Johnson’s vote share among poorer voters.
The poll showed Johnson has surged ahead of Livingstone to a popularity rating of 53%, while Livingstone is on 47%.
A spokesman for Livingstone said: “It’s increasingly clear Boris Johnson is a Mayor for the rich — who raised bus, Tube and train fares making Londoners worse off.”
The scale of the "Boris effect" is revealed in this latest poll of 1,060 Londoners. Johnson is 10 points ahead of The Conservative Party in popularity. However, Livingstone lags behind the Labour Party by six points.
Dividing the sexes, Livingstone was ahead among men by 53 per cent to 47 per cent, while Johnson was ahead among women by 59 per cent to 41 per cent — an 18 point lead.
The results put Johnson on steady footing for winning a second four-year term at City Hall. Although slightly more Londoners believed they would be better off financially under Livingstone, 45 percent doubted he would deliver his promised seven percent fares cut.
When asked which candidate was the most honest, 25 percent voted for Johnson while 19 percent chose Livingstone.