Federal Liberals Lose Support in NL but Remain Top Choice
May 9, 2019
PCs Now Leading in NS
May 27, 2019
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Tories Maintain Lead in NB, Greens Make Gains

MQO Research spoke with 600 residents of New Brunswick 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 PCs maintained a sizeable lead while the Greens gained support in New Brunswick this quarter. Among decided and leaning voters:

  • PC Party support decreased by 6 percentage points to 40%.
  • Liberal support held relatively steady at 30%.
  • Support for the Green Party increased by 9 percentage points to 20%.
  • Support for the People’s Alliance trended down 3 percentage points to 5%.
  • NDP support held steady at 3%.

The undecided / no vote group decreased 6 percentage points to 38%.

“The Green Party was able to capitalize on declining support for the PC Party and the People’s Alliance,” said Stephen Moore, Vice-President with MQO. “Despite the Green Party’s gains, the Tories continue to have a comfortable lead over their next closest competitor.”

Government Performance

The mean rating for the leadership of Premier Blaine Higgs held relatively steady at 5.6 this quarter (on a 10-point scale).

Leader Preference

Each party leader is polling in line with their party numbers. Among decided respondents:

  • Premier Blaine Higgs was the top choice of 38% of voters.
  • Liberal leader Kevin Vickers has the support of 26%.
  • 23% indicated Green leader David Coon was their preferred choice for Premier.
  • People’s Alliance leader Kris Austin was the top choice among 8% of voters.
  • Mackenzie Thomason, interim leader of the NDP, has the support of 5% of voters.

“Given the relative strength of both Vickers and Coon, Higgs should be pleased with his current level of support,” said Moore. “A Premier’s personal brand is a reflection of how much political capital he has to spend – it will give him breathing room to make tough decisions.”

Provincial Outlook

The provincial outlook for New Brunswick worsened in May. 39% of residents reported their outlook worsened over the past three months (up from 27% in February), while 48% indicated their outlook stayed the same (relatively unchanged) and 9% felt things had improved (down from 16%).

The Atlantic Matters poll was conducted by telephone from April 23rd to May 6th, 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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