- A marginal increase in the satisfaction with the performance of the provincial government is evident this quarter.
- Susan Holt of the Liberal Party remains most preferred as Premier.
August 24, 2023
While the majority of New Brunswickers continue to express dissatisfaction with the performance of the provincial government led by Premier Blaine Higgs, dissatisfaction has declined this quarter compared to last, according to the latest survey by Narrative Research. Six in ten (59%, down from 64% in May 2023) are currently dissatisfied, while four in ten (37%, up from 31%) express some level of satisfaction with the government’s overall performance. Dissatisfaction is highest in Northern NB and lowest in Southern NB, albeit Southern NB residents are nearly evenly-split between being satisfied or dissatisfied.
The PCs and Liberals continue to garner similar levels of support from decided voters. Four in ten would vote for either the Liberals (38%, compared with 34% in May 2023) or the PCs (36%, compared with 34%) if an election were held today. Two in ten would vote for the Green Party (16%, compared with 19%), while one in ten would vote for the NDP (8%, compared with 10%). The People’s Alliance of New Brunswick has backing from 1% of decided voters (compared with 2%). Liberals have the highest support in Moncton and its surrounding area, followed closely by Northern NB, while the PCs continue to have the highest support in Southern NB.
Susan Holt of the Liberal Party remains in the lead as most preferred for Premier. Susan Holt is preferred by close to three in ten (28%, compared with 25% in May 2023), while one-quarter voice preference for Blaine Higgs (23%, up from 18%). One in ten prefer David Coon of the Green Party (13%, compared with 17%), while only a small minority prefer either Alex White, interim leader of the NDP (6%, compared with 5%) or Rick DeSaulniers of the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick (3%, compared with 5%).
These results are part of Narrative Research’s Atlantic Quarterly®, an independent telephone survey of Atlantic Canadians, and are drawn from a sample of 400 adult New Brunswickers, conducted from August 2-21, 2023, with overall results accurate to within ± 4.9 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times. The results are weighted by region, age, and gender to reflect the overall New Brunswick adult population.
Narrative Research, www.narrativeresearch.ca, is a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned research company, certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE). Follow us on Twitter at @EveryNarrative.
For more information, please contact:
Margaret Brigley, CEO, Narrative Research at 902.493.3830, mbrigley@narrativeresearch.ca
