MQO Research spoke with 400 residents of Prince Edward Island to gauge the political temperature in the province for the January edition of our quarterly political poll: Atlantic Matters.
Provincial Politics
According to the latest polling numbers, the Green Party gained significant ground in January and are now tied for second in the polls with the PC Party. Among decided and leaning voters:
- Current Liberal support decreased 6 percentage points to 37% this quarter.
- Support for the PC Party held relatively steady at 29% in January.
- NDP dropped by 6 percentage points to 6% this quarter.
- Support for the Green Party jumped 15 percentage points to 28% rebounding from the
drop seen in October. o The undecided / no vote group remained steady at 37%.
Government Performance
Ratings for the leadership of Premier Wade MacLauchlan remained steady this quarter with a mean rating of 5.3 (on a 10-point scale).
Provincial Outlook
The economic outlook for the province held fairly steady in January. The majority (63%) of Islanders reported that the economic outlook over the past three months had stayed the same. 13% of Islanders indicated that the general outlook in Prince Edward Island has been getting worse over the past three months and 20% felt things were getting better.
Consumer Confidence
In general, Islanders were slightly more optimistic heading into 2018 compared to this time last year. 43% reported feeling highly concerned (% 8 or higher) about their current cost of living which dropped 6 percentage points year over year. 22 percent rated their stress level an 8 or higher which edged down 4 percentage points from January 2017.
The Atlantic Matters poll was conducted by telephone from Jan. 15th to Jan. 20th, 2018 and included 400 randomly selected eligible voters from across the province. The margin of error for the total sample is ± 4.9 percentage points 19 times out of 20. Among decided and leaning voters, the margin of error for the survey is ± 6.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
About MQO Research
MQO Research is one of Atlantic Canada’s leading market research firms, providing research insights to clients throughout the region and beyond. Our team includes experts in quantitative and qualitative methodologies and program evaluation. MQO is a Gold Seal member of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA) and as such subscribes to the highest standards of information gathering and research ethics in the industry in Canada.
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For more information on Atlantic Matters or MQO Research, contact:
Tracey Stephenson
[email protected]
Phone: 506-852-7281
Cell: 506-850-8077