The Green Party outranks the Non-Partisan Association (NPA) and Vision Vancouver in positive perceptions.
Vancouver, BC [April 12, 2018] – In the early stages of the Vancouver mayoral race, a current councilor and a former candidate for council are regarded as worthy choices by voters, a new poll by Research Co. has found.
In the online survey of a representative sample of City of Vancouver voters, one-in- four respondents (26%) think current Green Party of Vancouver councilor Adriane Carr would be a “good choice” if she became Mayor of Vancouver, while 16 per cent feel the same way about social activist Jean Swanson—who ran unsuccessfully as an independent in last year’s by-election to council.
“The impressive issue with Carr is how well she is connecting across party lines,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “About a third of voters who supported Vision Vancouver’s Gregor Robertson in 2014 say Carr would be a good choice for mayor, along with one-in-four of those who cast a ballot for Kirk LaPointe of the Non-Partisan Association (NPA).”
The poll, which allowed voters to rate 11 prospective candidates individually, outlines some major differences in name recognition. Almost half of respondents (47%) do not know who current NPA councilor Hector Bremner is, and larger proportions are unaware of other individuals seeking the NPA nod: current Park Board commissioner John Coupar (54%), urban geographer Colleen Hardwick (56%), financial analyst Glen Chernen (60%) and entrepreneur Chris Hasek-Watt (61%).
Across the city, six per cent of Vancouverites think Bremner is a good choice for Mayor—including 27 per cent of those who voted for LaPointe in the last mayoral election—while 12 per cent believe he would be a bad choice.
Former Conservative Party Member of Parliament Wai Young, who has launched a mayoral bid under the Coalition Vancouver banner, is regarded as a good choice by three per cent of Vancouverites, and as a bad choice by 13 per cent.
Simon Fraser University (SFU) professor Shauna Sylvester, who announced her mayoral campaign as an independent candidate last week, is seen as a good choice by eight per cent of Vancouverites—including 13% of those who voted for Robertson in the 2014 Mayoral contest.
Other prospective candidates who did not reach double digits as being “good choices” for mayor include urban planner Patrick Condon and Brette Mullins of Your Political Party.
“The absence of an incumbent and the changes to campaign financing have made this year’s Vancouver mayoral election particularly compelling,” continues Canseco. “The first battle for most of these prospective contenders will be for name recognition.”
When it comes to the political parties that currently operate in the city, almost half of Vancouverites (48%) say they have a positive opinion of the Green Party of Vancouver, while only 22% hold negative views.
Vision Vancouver, which currently holds a majority in council, is regarded negatively by 43% of Vancouverites and positively by 26%. One third of Vancouverites (32%) have negative views on the NPA, while 23% have positive ones.
Residents appear to be split on the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) (27% positive, 27% negative), while smaller proportions of Vancouverites have a positive opinion of One City (14%) and Your Political Party (11%).
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from April 9 to April 10, 2018, among 400 adults in the City of Vancouver. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in the City of Vancouver. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 4.9 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty. Find our full data set here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca