- Despite improvement, consumer confidence still down from its 2018 high.
- Satisfaction with the performance of Saint John’s municipal government trending upwards.
- Large majority of city residents believe response to Irving Refinery explosion was well handled.
December 4, 2018: Consumer confidence in Saint John has climbed slightly to 100.2, according to the most recent Urban Report survey conducted by Corporate Research Associates Inc. (CRA). The Consumer Confidence Index is up from 99.1 in August, but still down from its 2018 high of 102.8, reached in the spring. This time last year, CCI stood at 98.7. The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) is based on five questions asked of Saint John residents regarding the economic health of their city and their households. Notably, confidence remains lower in Saint John than the other urban markets surveyed – Fredericton, Moncton and Halifax.
Meanwhile, satisfaction with the performance of Saint John’s municipal government under Mayor Don Darling is trending gradually upwards, with 67 percent of residents expressing satisfaction, up from 66 percent in August and 65 percent in May. At this time last year satisfaction was at 65 percent.
The Urban Report survey also asked Saint John residents whether they agreed or disagreed that the response to the October 8 explosion and fire at the Irving Refinery was well handled. A large majority, 80 percent, agreed that the crisis was well handled, while 13 percent disagreed and 7 percent were unable to provide an answer.
These results are part of the CRA Urban Report, an independent telephone survey of adult residents consisting of interviews with 300 residents in Saint John CMA, conducted from October 22 to November 10, 2018, with overall results for each accurate to within ±5.7 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times. The survey results for government satisfaction are based on 171 City of Saint John residents (±7.5 percentage points).
Corporate Research Associates (CRA), www.cra.ca, is one of Canada’s leading public opinion and market research companies. Founded in 1978, CRA is dedicated to providing clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services. Follow us on Twitter @CRAInsight.
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For more information, please contact:
Margaret Chapman, CRA Vice-President at (902) 493-3834; mchapman@cra.ca
or
Richard Foot, Manager, Urban Report at (902) 493-3826; rfoot@cra.ca
