Majorities of Albertans and British Columbians are disappointed with the way the federal government has handled this issue.
Vancouver, BC [November 10, 2020] – Just over half of British Columbians and practically three-in-four Albertans want to carry on with the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of representative provincial samples, 52% of British Columbians and 74% of Albertans agree with the federal government’s decision to re-approve the project.
“There is a higher level of support for the pipeline’s expansion from residents aged 55 and over in both British Columbia (60%) and Alberta (83%),” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Agreement with the federal government’s decision is lower among those aged 18-to-34 In each province (44% in BC, 68% in Alberta).”
In British Columbia, agreement with the pipeline expansion has dropped by four points since a similar Research Co. survey conducted in December 2019.
Opposition to the project fell by six points in British Columbia (from 35% to 29%) , while the proportion of undecided respondents increased from 10% last year to 18% now.
More than half of residents of each Canadian province (59% in Alberta and 54% in British Columbia) are disappointed with the way the federal government has handled the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. These groups include 66% of Green Party voters in British Columbia and 70% of United Conservative Party voters in Alberta.
While two-in-five British Columbians (40%) want the provincial government to do anything necessary to ensure that the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion does not happen, the proportion of Albertans who feel the same way about the actions of their own provincial administration stands at 22%.
Only 17% of Albertans believe the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion threatens the health and safety of the province’s residents. The proportion is significantly higher in British Columbia (44%).
Two thirds of British Columbians (68%) and four-in-five Albertans (79%) believe the Trans Mountain Pipeline will create hundreds of jobs for residents of each province.
More than a third of Albertans (34%) and British Columbians (38%) believe gas prices will be lower now that the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion has been re-approved.
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from October 29 to October 31, 2020, among 800 adults in British Columbia, and an online study conducted from November 2 to November 4, 2020, among 700 adults in Alberta. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia and Alberta. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points for British Columbia and +/- 3.4 percentage points for Alberta, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables for British Columbia here, our data tables for Alberta 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