PCs Now Leading in NS

MQO Research spoke with 600 residents of Nova Scotia to gauge the political temperature in the province for the Spring edition of our quarterly political poll: Atlantic Matters.

Provincial Politics

According to the latest polling numbers, the governing Liberals are now trailing the PCs in NS. Among decided and leaning voters:

  • Current Liberal support dropped 11 percentage points to 30%.
  • PC Party support increased 5 percentage points to 38%.
  • NDP support was relatively unchanged at 18%.
  • Support for the Green Party increased 5 percentage points to 12%.

The undecided / no vote group increased 5 percentage points to 45%.

“The Liberals lost support to both the PC Party and the Green Party in Nova Scotia,” said Stephen Moore, Vice President with MQO Research. “The real problem for the governing Liberals is that they are losing support in HRM – their traditional fortress.”

“They currently lead, but the increased support for the Tories and Greens means they are getting squeezed.”

Government Performance

The mean rating for the leadership of Premier Stephen McNeil decreased from 4.7 last quarter to 4.2 in May (on a 10-point scale).

Provincial Outlook

The outlook for the province worsened in May. 43% of Nova Scotians reported their outlook worsened over the past three months (up from 35% in February), while 42% indicated their outlook stayed the same (down from 46% last quarter) and 12% felt things had gotten better (edged downward from 15% last quarter).

The Atlantic Matters poll was conducted by telephone from May 3rd to May 13th, 2019 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.

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. As a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), MQO subscribes to the highest standards of information gathering and research ethics in the industry.

For more information on Atlantic Matters or MQO Research, contact:

Stephen Moore – Vice-President
[email protected]
Cell: 902-210-5379

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