Governing Liberal Party Maintains Slim Lead on PEI

MQO Research’s quarterly poll of 400 residents of Prince Edward Island gauged the political temperature in the province for this July edition of the quarterly political poll: Atlantic Matters.

Provincial Politics

According to the latest polling numbers, support for the various political parties held steady in July.

  • Among decided and leaning voters:
    • Current Liberal support in the province sits at 39% which is on par with April.
    • NDP support also held steady at 7% this quarter.
    • Support for the PC party sits at 31 percent relatively unchanged from last quarter.
    • The Green party continues to maintain the large jump in support seen at the start of 2017currently sitting at 22%.
  • The undecided/don’t know group dropped back to 22% this quarter (compared to 29% in April).

Government Performance

Ratings for the leadership of Premier Wade MacLauchlan also held steady in July. The mean score sits at 4.9 this quarter while 60% of voters scored the Premier 1 to 5 (on a 10-point scale) in July which was on par with April.

Provincial Outlook

Islanders were a little more optimistic about the provincial outlook this quarter. 21 percent indicated that the general outlook in Prince Edward Island was “getting better” which trended up from 16 percent in April.

Personal Wellbeing

Islanders perceptions about their personal wellbeing also showed signs of increased optimism in July. 70% rated their job security an 8 or higher which was up from 60% last quarter. Further, just 39% rated their level of concern about the cost of living an 8 or higher which was down from 49% last quarter. Conversely, 24 percent rated their level of stress an 8 or higher which was up from 18% in April.

The Atlantic Matters poll was conducted by telephone from July 3 to July 15, 2017 and included 400 randomly selected eligible voters from across the province. The margin of error for the survey is ± 4.9 percentage points 19 times out of 20. Among decided and leaning voters, the margin of error for the survey is ± 5.9 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