(08/06/10) -

Taylor or Watts Would Boost BC Liberals, But NDP Remains Ahead

Perceptions of BC Premier Gordon Campbell remain predominantly negative, with three-in-four disapproving of his performance.

Perceptions of BC Premier Gordon Campbell remain predominantly negative, with three-in-four disapproving of his performance.

British Columbia’s governing BC Liberals and Premier Gordon Campbell remain highly unpopular and a change of leadership would not be enough to put the party in first place at this point, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative provincial sample of 800 British Columbian adults, 48 per cent of respondents say they would vote for the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) in the next provincial election, up two points since early Julyadop.

The BC Liberals are far behind with 27 per cent (+4), followed by the Greens at 13 per cent (-1), and the BC Conservatives at six per cent (-2). Six per cent of respondents would vote for other parties or independent candidates.

New Leadership

If former BC Finance Minister Carole Taylor became the new leader of the BC Liberals, this would bring the NDP’s vote share down to 42 per cent, and boost the governing party to 34 per cent. The Greens would remain stable at 12 per cent.

If Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts were to head the BC Liberals into the next election, the NDP would still be 10 points ahead of the Liberals (44% to 34%). The Greens would lose some ground, this time at 10 per cent.

Approval and Momentum

British Columbians continue to condemn the performance of their premier. Campbell’s approval rating stands at a meagre 14 per cent, while his disapproval remains particularly high at 75 per cent.

BC NDP leader Carole James is not precisely popular, with 28 per cent of respondents approving of her performance, and 39 per cent rejecting it.

Jane Sterk, leader of the BC Greens, remains a mystery for most respondents. Among the few people who recognize her, 13 per cent are content with her leadership, and 19 per cent are not.

Only two per cent of respondents say their opinion of Premier Campbell has improved in the past three months, whereas two thirds (67%) say it has worsened, for a momentum score of -65. James’s momentum is also negative yet much better at -6, and Sterk scores a -4.

This year’s editions of the BC Political Scene can be accessed here:
March 2010 / April 2010 / June 2010 / Early July 2010

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From July 26 to July 28, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 800 randomly selected British Columbia adults who are Angus Reid Forum panellists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.5%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.