- Thin majority of NB voters satisfied with performance of Higgs’ minority government.
- PCs maintain wide lead over opposition parties in popular support.
- Green Party reaches new statistical record among decided voters.
June 13, 2019: A slim majority of New Brunswickers are satisfied with the performance of Premier Blaine Higgs’ provincial government, according to the latest survey by Narrative Research.
Seven months after Higgs and the Progressive Conservatives assumed power, 53% of New Brunswick voters are satisfied versus 34% dissatisfied with their government’s performance (compared with 56% satisfied and 30% dissatisfied three months ago). Six percent are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied this quarter, and 7% don’t have an opinion on the matter.
At the same time, the PCs are maintaining their lead over the opposition parties in terms of popular support. The PCs have the backing of 42% of decided voters (unchanged from February 2019), while the provincial Liberals have the support of 25% (compared to 29% in February), and the Green Party has 18% support– a statistical high for the Greens – (compared to 14% in February). The New Democratic Party has 8% support (compared to 6%) and the People’s Alliance of NB (PANB) has 6% (compared to 9%).
One quarter of the electorate (23%) is undecided about which party to vote for if an election were held today, and 9% do not plan to vote or will not say where their support lies.
Meanwhile, Higgs is also holding onto his position as the most preferred option for premier among the party leaders, with 29% in favour of his leadership (unchanged from February). Kevin Vickers, who became the new Liberal leader in April, is preferred by 19% of New Brunswickers, Green Party leader David Coon is the choice of 17% (compared to 15% in February), PANB leader Kris Austin is favoured by 8% (compared with 9%) and former NDP leader Jennifer McKenzie, who recently stepped down as leader, is preferred by 6% (compared with 7%).
These results are part of Narrative Research’sAtlantic Quarterly®, an independent telephone survey of Atlantic Canadians, and are based on a sample of 800 adult New Brunswickers, conducted from May 2 to 22, 2019, 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 @EveryNarrative.
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For more information, please contact:
Margaret Chapman, COO, Narrative Research
at (902) 493-3834, mchapman@narrativeresearch.ca
Narrative Research Atlantic Quarterly®– May 2019
New Brunswick Political Results
Sample: 800 New Brunswickers (18 years plus)
Interview Dates:May 2 to 22, 2019
Overall Margin of Sampling Error: ± 3.5 percentage points (95% confidence level)
Percentages may not equal 100 percent due to rounding. Image
