Almost three-in-five residents (59%) think it has become harder for them to make ends meet in the province.
Vancouver, BC [August 3, 2021] – A significant proportion of British Columbians are concerned about affordability issues four years after the BC New Democratic Party (NDP) formed the provincial government, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 59% of British Columbians say it has become harder to make ends meet over the course of the past four years.
“The concerns about the high cost of living in British Columbia are significant across the political spectrum,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Majorities of residents who voted for the BC Green Party (70%), the BC NDP (59%) and the BC Liberals (55%) in last year’s provincial election state that making ends meet is more difficult now than in 2017.”
Almost three-in-four British Columbians (74%) think buying a house is now harder than it was in 2017, and more than three-in-five (63%) feel the same way about saving money for retirement.
Roughly half of British Columbians think paying for post-secondary education (52%) and finding a job (49%) are now more difficult than four years ago.
In a Canada-wide Research Co. survey conducted in June 2021, 14% of Canadians—and 19% of British Columbians—identified housing, homelessness and poverty as the most important issue facing the country.
Just over seven-in-ten British Columbians (71%) believe the housing situation in the province is worse now than it was in 2017, and a majority (53%) feel the same way about taxation.
Just under half of British Columbians (48%) think that public safety is worse now than it was four years ago.
More than two-in-five British Columbians believe there has been no change on four other government files: public schools (49%), health care (48%), the justice system (46%) and the environment (42%).
Half of British Columbians (50%) believe BC NDP leader John Horgan has performed “about the same” as they expected after he became the province’s premier in July 2017.
Similar proportions of British Columbians think Horgan has performed better (20%) or worse (19%) than they originally envisioned.
One third of British Columbians (33%) believe it is too early to judge Horgan’s accomplishments since he became premier, while 26% think he has done little and 21% say he has achieved much.
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from July 17 to July 19, 2021, 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 data tables 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