A survey for a Jamaican newspaper suggests that most Jamaicans believe the country would have been better off if it had remained a British colony

The poll found that 60% of respondents backed this view. Only 17% disagreed. Jamaica is due to celebrate 50 years of independence in 2012. The island has struggled with high levels of poverty and crime. For more than a generation, Jamaica's economic growth has averaged below 2% a year and its homicide rate is one of the highest in the world.