Three-in-four British Columbians believe they will stay in the province for the rest of their lives.
Vancouver, BC [August 6, 2018] – More British Columbians are expressing affection for their fellow cascadians, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative sample of British Columbians, two thirds of residents (66%) think they have more in common with the people of Seattle and Portland than with those in Toronto or Montreal. This represents an eight-point increase since a similar survey conducted in 2016.
“When it comes to the way British Columbians feel about the residents of Washington State and Oregon, Millennials are the driving force behind positive perceptions,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Among residents aged 18-to-34, this sentiment reaches 72%, compared to 65% for those aged 35-to-54 and 64% for those aged 55 and over.”
Across the province, three-in-four residents (77%) believe they will stay in British Columbia for the rest of their lives, and 87% say they are very proud of the province they live in.
Three-in-five residents (61%) think the views of British Columbians are different from the rest of the country. Still, only 17% of residents believe the province would be better off as its own country—a proportion that rises to 22% among residents aged 35-to-54.
When asked who the best premier of the past three decades has been, almost two-in-five British Columbians (38%) cannot pick a single person. Mike Harcourt is in first place with 15%, followed by Gordon Campbell and John Horgan with 12% each, and Christy Clark with 11%.
BC Liberal voters in the last provincial election regard Clark (26%) and Campbell (22%) as the best recent provincial heads of government. Conversely, those who supported the BC New Democratic Party (NDP) in last year’s ballot select Horgan (28%) and Harcourt (26%).
Three-in-ten British Columbians (31%) pick Clark as the worst premier of the past three decades—a proportion that includes 42% of women and 43% of those aged 18-to-34. Horgan is second with 17%, followed by Bill Vander Zalm with 11%.
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from June 27 to June 29, 2018, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 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