Strong support for BC NDP
2013-02-06
Vancouver, British Columbia (February 6, 2013) – With just over three months before B.C.’s provincial election, support for the B.C. NPD is showing no signs of fading. The support gap, now at 22 percentage points, has widened directionally (from 20 percentage points in October).
No improvement for B.C. Liberals
The poll, taken during hearings (and accompanying public protests) about proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and tanker proposals finds no improvement in support for the governing B.C. Liberals. “Clearly, the B.C. NDP are continuing to hold their support base, while the B.C. Liberals have failed to attract voters who were once loyal prior to the HST and new leadership,” says pollster Barb Justason.
Support for the B.C. NDP stands at 48% of decided voters, unchanged since October; B.C. Liberal support stands at 26%, statistically unchanged since October. Following leadership concerns and a drop in support in October, the B.C. Conservatives have regained some of their losses (now at 12%). Support for the B.C. Greens stands at 11%.
Top election issues
According to the poll, healthcare along with the economy top residents’ election concerns (11%) followed by pipeline and tanker proposals (at 9%). Taxes including HST, employment, the environment, education and social issues form a second tier of concerns (5-7% each).
Top election issues vary by party support:
- Healthcare for B.C. NDP supporters (18%),
- Economy for BC Liberal supporters (20%),
- Taxes for the BC Conservatives supporters (15%), and
- Environment for the B.C. Green supporters (23%).
But pipeline and tanker proposals rank second as top issues for NDP, Liberal and Green supporters (11-15%).
“Pipelines and tanker proposals are a coalescing issue in this election race.”
“Voters from most parties are on the same page when it comes to pipeline and tanker proposals. Pipelines and tanker proposals are a coalescing issue in this election race and voters are hungry for leadership,” explains Justason.
Charts
Research Notes
These are the findings of a Justason Market Intelligence telephone-online hybrid poll of 600 adult British Columbians. The research relied on a random telephone sample and Justason’s online panel. The final data set matches the regional distributions and demographic characteristics (age and sex) of British Columbia according to the most recent census.
For more information contact Barb Justason, Principal
- Dates of research: Jan 25 to Feb 1, 2013
- Sample: 600 BC adults 18 years and older
- Methodology: Telephone-online hybrid
- Margin of error: ±4.0 percentage points, 95% of the time
- Research Sponsor: Justason Market Intelligence
Justason Market Intelligence
1156 Hornby Street Vancouver, BC V6Z1V8
Direct: +1 604 783 4165
Email: barb@justasonmi.com
web: JustasonMI.com twitter: barbjustason
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