Practically half of likely voters in the province say Scott Moe is their preferred leader to serve as head of government.
Vancouver, BC [October 11, 2020] – The Saskatchewan Party holds a sizeable advantage in the electoral campaign currently underway in the Prairie Province, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 58% of decided voters in Saskatchewan would cast a ballot for the candidate of the governing party in their constituency.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) is in second place with 36%, followed by the Green Party with 2%, the Progressive Conservative Party also with 2%, the Liberal Party with 1% and the Buffalo Party also with 1%.
The race is currently tight in Regina, where the Saskatchewan Party and the NDP are virtually tied among decided voters (49% and 47% respectively). The governing party is ahead in Saskatoon (54% to 41%) and in the rest of the province (65% to 25%).
Practically four-in-five decided voters in Saskatchewan (79%) say they are certain of their current choice, while 21% say they may change their mind before Election Day on Oct. 26.
The primary motivation for decided voters in Saskatchewan is a party’s ideas and policies (38%), followed by the party’s leader (32%), the candidate in the riding (10%), a desire for stability (also 10%), a desire for change (7%) and disgust with other contending candidates (3%).
“Decided voters who plan to support the Saskatchewan Party are more likely to say that their main motivation is the leader (41%),” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Conversely, those who plan to cast a ballot for the NDP are more likely to cite ideas and policies (42%).”
Almost two thirds of the province’s likely voters (65%) are satisfied with the way Premier and Saskatchewan Party leader Scott Moe has handled his duties, while 28% are not and 7% are undecided.
Likely voters are divided in their assessment of Official Opposition and NDP leader Ryan Meili (Approve 45%, Disapprove 44%). The rating is lower for Progressive Conservative leader Ken Grey (35%), Green leader Naomi Hunter (32%), Liberal leader Robert Rudachyk (31%) and Buffalo leader Wade Sira (25%).
On the “Best Premier” question, Moe holds a commanding lead over Meili (49% to 21%). The other four party leaders are in single digits.
More than a third of likely voters in Saskatchewan (35%) believe the economy and jobs is the most important issue facing the province, followed by heath care (28%), the environment (8%) and crime and public safety (5%).
Moe holds the upper hand over Meili as the best leader to handle eight issues: energy (46% to 19%), the economy and jobs (45% to 24%), crime and public safety (42% to 19%), accountability (41% to 22%), the environment (40% to 19%), health care (39% to 30%), education (39% to 24%) and housing, poverty and homelessness (38% to 23%).
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from October 8 to October 10, 2020, among 500 likely voters in Saskatchewan, including 447 decided voters in the 2020 provincial election. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Saskatchewan. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 4.4 percentage points for likely voters and +/- 4.6 percentage points for decided voters, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
Photo by Tintaggon.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca