Image Credit: Elections B.C.
January 31, 2024 - 12:16 PM
Close to half of British Columbians would vote for the BC New Democratic Party if a provincial election were held today.
According to a recent poll conducted by Research Co.,the NDP remains the most popular party in the province with 46% of decided voters saying they would support the BC NDP candidate in their riding if a provincial election took place today, down two points since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in September 2023.
The BC Conservative Party are the second most popular with 22% of respondents saying that's where they would cast their vote, while BC United came third with 15%.
One-third of those surveyed said with all things considered they'd like to see BC United and the BC Conservatives merging into a single party before the next provincial election.
“A merger between the two centre-right parties would find the support of 56% of British Columbians who are planning to vote for BC United and 48% of those who are planning to back the BC Conservatives,” Mario Canseco, president of Research Co, said in a press release issued today, Jan. 31.
READ MORE: As BC United unveils Thompson-Okanagan candidates, NDP, Conservatives lag
One-quarter of former BC Liberal voters from the 2020 election said they probably or definitely would not vote for BC United in an upcoming election and close to 60% said they wouldn’t vote NDP. Meanwhile, half of BC Liberals voters would vote for the BC Conservative Party.
The BC Conservatives are the most popular in Northern BC with 40% of decided voters saying they would cast their next votes for them. In Southern BC, the Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, the New Democrats are the most popular.
“The proportion of undecided voters across British Columbia fell from 18% in September to 13% this month,” Canesco said in the release. “The BC NDP is leading across all three age groups in British Columbia. Among the opposition parties, the BC Conservatives do better with voters aged 18-to-34 (28%) and aged 35-to-54 (29%), while BC United is connecting well with voters aged 55 and over (27%).”
More than half of voters said they approve of Premier and BC NDP leader David Eby. The approval ratings are lower for BC Greens leader Sonia Furstenau, BC Conservative leader John Rustad and BC United leader Kevin Falcon, with only around one-third of voters agreeing respectively.
Additionally, only a marginal number of voters believe that Kevin Falcon is better suited than Rustad to lead the opposition party (23% to 19%).
While Rustad is more popular with male voters, voters aged 55 and over, and residents of Northern BC and the Fraser Valley, Falcon gains more support from women, young voters and residents of Metro Vancouver, Southern BC and Vancouver Island.
Across all voters housing, poverty and homelessness are the most pressing concerns, especially amongst young voters aged between 18 and 35 years old (45%) and residents of Northern BC (46%). Healthcare and the economy are also pressing issues.
The environment, education and energy however, were among the least important issues, with 0-4% of voters expressing any concern.
Results are based on an online study on an online study conducted from Jan. 22 to Jan. 24, among 800 adults in BC. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in BC. The margin of error — which measures sample variability — is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
The next BC election will be held on or before Oct. 19.
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