The BC NDP leader leads on housing and health care, while the BC Conservative leader is ahead on crime and public safety.
Vancouver, BC [September 20, 2024] – As the provincial electoral campaign is about to begin, British Columbians place Premier and BC New Democratic Party (NDP) leader David Eby ahead of his rivals on the management of 10 issues, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative sample, 37% of British Columbians think Eby is best suited to deal with health care, while 28% select Conservative Party of BC leader John Rustad and 14% choose Sonia Furstenau of the BC Greens.
Eby outranks Rustad on nine other issues: housing, poverty and homelessness (35% to 29%), education (35% to 22%), creating jobs (35% to 31%), transportation projects (34% to 26%), dealing with municipal governments (34% to 28%), accountability (33% to 29%), energy (32% to 27%), child care (32% to 22%) and seniors care (32% to 25%).
Furstenau is the first choice of British Columbians to manage the environment (33%, with Eby at 26% and Rustad at 20%).
Rustad is ahead of Eby on dealing with crime and public safety (35% to 31%), while the two leaders are practically tied on the economy (Eby 34%, Rustad 33%) and managing the province’s finances (Eby 33%, Rustad 31%).
“British Columbians aged 18-to-34 prefer Rustad to Eby to be in charge of the province’s finances (34% to 27%),” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The two leaders are practically tied among those aged 35-to-54 (33% for Eby and 32% for Rustad), while those aged 55 and over select Eby over Rustad (43% to 3%).”
When it comes to character traits, at least two-in-five British Columbians think Eby is a good speaker and communicator (58%, +6 since our previous survey conducted in June), has a vision for the future of British Columbia (51%, +7), understands the problems of BC residents (47%, +6), is a strong and decisive leader (46%, +6) and is in touch with the problems British Columbians face I their daily lives (45%, +8).
At least three-in-ten British Columbians regard Rustad as having a vision for the future (47%, +13), being a good speaker and communicator (also 47%, +14%), understanding the problems of BC residents (43%, +11), being a strong and decisive leader (42%, +12), and being in touch with the problems British Columbians face in their daily lives (40%, +11).
More than three-in-ten British Columbians believe Furstenau is honest and trustworthy (39%, +5), is a good speaker and communicator (38%, +5), understands the problems of BC residents (also 38%, +6), has a vision for the future of British Columbia (also 38%, +2) and is in touch with the problems British Columbians face in their daily lives (35%, +5).
Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted from September 9 to September 11, 2024, among a representative sample of 802 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