The Gap Between the Governing Liberals and the PC Party Narrows in October

MQO Research’s quarterly poll of 600 residents of New Brunswick gauged the political temperature in the province for this October edition of the quarterly political poll: Atlantic Matters.

Provincial Politics

According to the latest polling numbers, support for all political parties held relatively steady in October. Among decided and leaning voters:

  • Current Liberal support in the province edged down 4 percentage points to 41%.
  • PC Party support held steady at 36%.
  • NDP support also held steady at 12%.
  • Support for the Green Party also exhibited no change this quarter at 7%.
  • The undecided / no vote group increased significantly to 45% this quarter (up from 37% in July).

Government Performance

Ratings for the leadership of Premier Brian Gallant held steady this quarter with a mean score of 5.2.

Provincial Outlook

New Brunswick residents’ were more pessimistic about the economic outlook for the province in October. 35% said the general outlook in New Brunswick has been getting worse over the past three months which was up from 26% in July.

Federal Politics

Federally, the Conservatives gained some ground this quarter in New Brunswick. Among decided and leaning voters:

  • Liberal support held relatively steady at 53%.
  • Conservative support was up 6 percentage points to 31%.
  • NDP support also held relatively steady at 11%.
  • Support for the Green Party remained unchanged at 4%.
  • Ratings of government performance under Justin Trudeau trended down slightly with a mean score of 5.3 (down from 5.6 in April).

The Atlantic Matters poll was conducted by telephone from Oct. 4 to Oct. 15, 2017 and included 600 randomly selected eligible voters from across the province. The margin of error for the total sample is ± 4.0 percentage points 19 times out of 20. Among decided and leaning voters, the margin of error for the survey is ± 5.3 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.

MQO is part of Group m5, the largest communications organization in Eastern Canada. The Group m5 family of brands includes m5 Marketing Communications, m5 Public Affairs, MQO Research, Wavelight Productions and Impress Design.

For more information on Atlantic Matters or MQO Research, contact:
Tracey Stephenson
[email protected]
Phone: 506-852-7281
Cell: 506-850-8077

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