Gap diminishes between PCs and Liberals in decided voter intentions.
Higgs remains most preferred as Premier, although his support has declined.
HALIFAX, March 9th, 2021
The provincial government led by Premier Blaine Higgs continues to enjoy high levels of overall satisfaction, generally consistent with last quarter’s results (69% compared with 72% in November 2020). Results are suggestive of continued support of government actions in managing the pandemic.
While satisfaction levels are high across the province, some regional differences are evident. Residents in Moncton and area express a somewhat higher level of satisfaction (76%) than those in Southern New Brunswick (68%) and Northern New Brunswick (66%). Further, satisfaction levels are lowest among the younger population aged 18 to 34 years (61%).
“Faced with increased caseloads and community spread, the New Brunswick government introduced restrictions in recent months, including the province’s removal from the Atlantic bubble,” said Margaret Brigley, Narrative Research’s CEO. “Despite those actions, the provincial government continues to enjoy high satisfaction levels, suggesting that New Brunswickers are generally supportive of its actions in managing the pandemic.”
When considering voter intentions, results indicate that if an election were held today, New Brunswick decided voters are almost equally likely to favour the PCs (35%) as the Liberals (32%). Support for the PCs has declined modestly (35%, compared with 41% in November 2020), and that for the Liberals has shown slight improvement (32%, compared with 28%), diminishing the gap. Support for the Green Party remains unchanged at 20%. The New Democratic Party and the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick each garner six percent of the vote (vs. 6% for NDP, and 4% for PANB in November 2020).
In terms of preference for premier, Higgs is once again the most preferred, albeit to a lesser extent than three months ago. Three-in-ten residents (30%) voice preference for Higgs as premier, down from 39% in November 2020. Melanson, who stepped in as interim Liberal leader after the election last year, is preferred for premier by 19% (consistent with 17% in November 2020), while Coon holds steady at 17% of voter preference (consistent with 16% in November 2020). Austin is preferred by 6%, while 4% would prefer Thomason as premier, both unchanged from November 2020.
These results are part of Narrative Research’s Atlantic Quarterly®, an independent telephone survey of Atlantic Canadians, and are based on a sample of 800 adult New Brunswickers, conducted from February 2 – 17, 2021, with overall results accurate to within ± 3.5 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times.
Narrative Research www.narrativeresearch.ca, is one of Canada’s leading public opinion and market research companies. Narrative Research is dedicated to providing clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services. Follow us on Twitter @EveryNarrative.
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For more information, please contact:
Margaret Brigley, CEO, Narrative Research at 902-493-3830 (bus); 902.222.7066 (M) mbrigley@narrativeresearch.ca
