- Satisfaction with the performance of the provincial government remains well above pre-pandemic levels, despite a small decline.
- The gap in voting intentions between the Liberal and PC parties has narrowed.
- Despite his resignation announcement, residents continue to express preference for McNeil as Premier.
HALIFAX, September 3, 2020: Despite a decline, Nova Scotians’ satisfaction with the overall performance of the Liberal government led by Premier Stephen McNeil remains above pre-pandemic levels at 70% this quarter, (down from 77% in May 2020), according to the latest survey by Narrative Research.
Decided voter support for the Liberals has declined to 47% (down from 57% in May), while the PCs now have 27% of decided voter intentions (compared with 22% in May). Voter support for the New Democratic Party stands at 19% (compared with 15% in May). The Green Party holds support from six percent of decided voters in the province (unchanged since May). There is an increase in the proportion of undecided voters (34%, up from 27% in May). Further, three percent do not plan to vote, and five percent refuse to state a choice.
Despite McNeil’s announcement on August 6 that he will be resigning, four in ten indicated that McNeil remains their preferred choice for Premier (40%, compared with 44% in May), among current party leaders. Support for Houston stands at 17% (compared with 15% in May), a figure similar to the proportion preferring Burrill (15% compared with 13% in May). Trappenberg is most preferred as Premier by five percent of the electorate (compared with 6% in May). Two in ten (19%) residents are undecided on the matter of leadership, while three percent prefer none of the party leaders.
“Satisfaction levels with the provincial government remain very high, reflective of residents’ positive perceptions of how Nova Scotia has been managed during the pandemic,” said Margaret Brigley, CEO of Narrative Research. “Premier McNeil has announced his resignation at a time when the Liberal Party is in a strong position.”
These results are part of Narrative Research’s Atlantic Quarterly®, an independent, quarterly telephone survey of Atlantic Canadians, and are based on an overall sample of 801 adult Nova Scotians, conducted from August 5 – 26, 2020, with overall results accurate to within ±3.5 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times. Preference for Premier was conducted between August 5 – 23, 2020, and is based on a sample of 400 adult Nova Scotians, with overall results accurate to within ± 4.9 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times.
Narrative Research, www.narrativeresearch.ca, is one of Canada’s leading public opinion and market research companies. As a non-partisan company, Narrative Research is dedicated to providing clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services. Follow us on Twitter at @EveryNarrative.
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For more information, please contact:
Margaret Brigley, CEO, Narrative Research at 902.222.7066 (M), mbrigley@narrativeresearch.ca
