Vancouverites think housing affordability and the influence of developers are worse in their city than in other Metro Vancouver municipalities.
Vancouver, BC [July 19, 2018] – With three months to go before Vancouverites select a new mayor and council, two candidates have solidified their position as early frontrunners, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative sample of City of Vancouver residents, 26% of decided voters say they will support Ken Sim of the Non-Partisan Association (NPA), while 25% will cast a ballot for independent candidate Kennedy Stewart.
Ian Campbell of Vision Vancouver is third with 20%, followed by independent candidate Shauna Sylvester with 11%, Wai Young of Coalition Vancouver with 8%, Hector Bremner of Yes Vancouver with 5% and David Chen of ProVancouver with 4%.
The level of undecided voters in the City of Vancouver has dropped, from 47% in the June Research Co. survey, to 35% this month. The survey was conducted entirely after Patrick Condon, who was seeking the mayoral nod for the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE), announced he was withdrawing from the race.
Among decided voters, Sim is ahead among men (32%), residents of the West Side (31%) and those aged 55 and over (36%). Conversely, Stewart holds the upper hand among women (30%), residents of the East Side (29%) and Downtown (32%), and those aged 35-to-54 (31%).
“There are still many voters who are in the process of getting to know the contenders,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Almost two thirds (63%) feel they do not have enough information about candidates and parties to cast all their votes in the municipal election.”
When asked about specific issues, four-in-five Vancouverites (82%) think housing affordability is worse in their city than in other Metro Vancouver municipalities, and more than half (57%) feel the same way about the influence of developers.
Two-in-five Vancouverites (40%) think quality of life is better in their city, and three-in-ten (30%) believe public safety is also superior.
Only 29% of Vancouverites are satisfied with the actions taken by the federal government to deal with housing issues in their city. The satisfaction rating is higher for both the municipal government (32%) and the provincial government (38%).
Three-in-ten Vancouverites (31%) agree with the idea of all Metro Vancouver municipalities amalgamating into one, like Toronto and Montreal have, while almost half (48%) disagree with this notion.
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from July 13 to July 16, 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 and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca