- Satisfaction with the performance of the provincial government reaches a record high for Ball
- The gap in decided voter support for the Liberals over the PCs widens by a notable margin
HALIFAX, May 28, 2020: The satisfaction of Newfoundland and Labrador residents with the overall performance of the Liberal government led by Premier Dwight Ball has taken a dramatic shift upwards, reaching the highest level recorded during Ball’s tenure, and now standing at 78% (up from 40% in February 2020), according to the latest survey by Narrative Research. Prior to this, the most recent time satisfaction reached a similar level was in August 2011 (76%).
Decided voter support for the Liberals has also increased, from 37% in February 2020 to 60% this quarter. Voter support for the Progressive Conservatives has declined to 26% (from 35% in February 2020). Support for the New Democratic Party has also declined to 13% (from 26% in February), while the Green Party remains mainly consistent with the previous quarter at 1% (compared with 2% in February). Nearly three in ten (28%) residents in the province indicate they do not know who they would vote for in an upcoming election. One percent do not plan to vote, and three percent refuse to state their choice.
Despite Premier Ball having announced his intention to resign, when considering leadership preference, Ball remains most preferred by 48% of residents (up from 30% in February 2020), notably widening the gap with Ches Crosbie (the gap had narrowed to three percentage points in the previous quarter). Crosbie is preferred by two in ten residents (21%, down from 27% in February). Alison Coffin also has experienced a decline in preference for premier, standing now at 11% (down from 22% in February). Twelve percent of voters are undecided on the matter of leadership, while seven percent prefer none of the leaders.
“This strong level of support for Premier Ball and his government is unprecedented during his time in office and reflects the high level of confidence the public has expressed with his leadership throughout the pandemic,” said Margaret Brigley, CEO of Narrative Research. “It’s not surprising that support for a government is escalated during a time of crisis given the increased profile and regular public briefings. For the moment that confidence has translated into increased voter intentions for the Liberal Party.”
These results are part of Narrative Research’s Atlantic Quarterly®, an independent, quarterly telephone survey of Atlantic Canadians, and are based on a sample of 801 adult residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. The survey was conducted from April 29 to May 26, 2020, 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. Founded in 1978 as Corporate Research Associates, 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, mbrigley@narrativeresearch.ca
