A new Ipsos poll shows a substantial drop in support for the BC Conservatives under new leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay. The BC NDP are, of course, the main beneficiary, but NDP support is unchanged compared to the last provincial election, as BC Conservative support has scattered among the BC Greens and other smaller political parties.
The poll also shows British Columbians much more likely to have an unfavourable than favourable impression of new BC Conservative Party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
BC Conservative Party support among decided voters has dropped eight points since the last provincial election to 35% (from 43% in 2024 election). This puts the party 10-points back of the BC NDP who have the support of 45% of decided voters. NDP support is unchanged from the last provincial election. The 8-point drop in BC Conservative support has benefited the BC Greens (10%, up two points from 8% in 2024 election) and two new parties; CentreBC (4%) and OneBC (2%). Four percent of decided voters say they would support some other party or candidate. These results exclude the 28% of British Columbians who are undecided or express no preference.
Age Breaks: The NDP lead is almost entirely due to older voters, with the NDP ahead by 23-points among those 55 years and older (NDP 50% vs. CONS 27%) The two parties are effectively tied among 18-34 years olds (NDP 43% vs. CONS 41%) and 35-54 year olds (NDP 40% vs. CONS 40%).
Gender Breaks: The NDP leads by 20 points with women (50% NDP vs. 30% CONS), while the two parties are tied among men (NDP 40% vs. CONS 40%).
Region Breaks: The NDP leads by 13 points in Metro Vancouver (47% NDP vs. 34% CONS) and by 14 points on Vancouver Island (44% NDP vs. 30% CONS). The horserace is tied in the Southern Interior / North (41% NDP vs. 41% CONS).
Views of political figures:
Kerry-Lynne Findlay: Initial impressions of new BC Conservative Party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay are much more negative than positive. Nearly half (46%) of British Columbians say they have an unfavourable impression of Findlay, including more than one-third (35%) with a very unfavourable impression. Favourable impressions of Findlay are at 17%, including 6% very favourable impressions. Other residents have a neutral impression (22%) of Findlay or have not heard of her (16%).
• Impressions of Findlay are much more negative among older residents (61% unfavourable among 55+ years vs. 33% among 18-34 years, 38% among 35-54 years).
• Impressions of Findlay are much more positive among BC Conservative Party supporters (48% favourable vs. 10% unfavourable). By comparison, David Eby is 82% favourable and 5% unfavourable among BC NDP supporters.
• Impressions of Findlay are also more negative than positive among segments where the party is doing relatively well, such as among men (21% favourable vs. 45% unfavourable), residents of the Interior/North (16% favourable vs. 46% unfavourable) and younger voters (18% favourable vs. 36% unfavourable among under 55 years of age). This suggests that BC Conservative support is strong with these segments in spite of the new leader, rather than because of the new leader.
David Eby: Impressions of David Eby are more positive than negative. Eby has 41% favourable impressions (12% very favourable) and 30% unfavourable impressions (18% very unfavourable). One-in-four (23%) residents have a neutral impression of Eby, while only 6% have not heard of him.
The survey also asked about impressions of other BC party leaders:
Emily Lowan: Most residents do not have an impression of BC Green Party leader Emily Lowan. She has 12% favourable impressions and 15% unfavourable impressions. Four-in-ten (41%) have not heard of Lowan and 32% have a neutral impression.
Dallas Brodie: Most residents do not have an impression of OneBC leader Dallas Brodie, but impressions are more negative than positive. She has 10% favourable impressions and 24% unfavourable impressions. Nearly four-in-ten (36%) have not heard of Brodie and 30% have a neutral impression.
Mike Bernier: Most residents do not have an impression of CentreBC leader Mike Bernier, but impressions are more negative than positive. He has 9% favourable impressions and 19% unfavourable impressions. Nearly four-in-ten (38%) have not heard of Bernier and 35% have a neutral impression.
The survey also asked about impressions of the two main federal party leaders:
Mark Carney: British Columbians have twice as many positive as negative impressions of Prime Minister Mark Carney. A slight majority (53%) of BC residents have a favourable impression of Carney, compared to one-quarter (26%) with an unfavourable impression. Carney also has 17% neutral impressions and 4% say they have not heard of him.
Pierre Poilievre: Impressions of Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre are the mirror of Mark Carney. Half (50%) of BC residents have an unfavourable impression of Poilievre compared to three-in-ten (29%) with a favourable impression. Two-in-ten (18%) have a neutral impression of Poilievre and 3% have not heard of him.
Interestingly, three-quarters (75%) of BC Conservative Party supporters have a favourable impression of Pierre Poilivevre. That is 27 points better than favourable impressions of Kerry-Lynne Findlay (48%) among her own party supporters.
These are the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted September 8 to 14, 2026. For this survey, a sample of 800 adult British Columbians were surveyed online with sample sourced through the Ipsos panel. Data was weighted by BC region, age, gender and education, in accordance with Census proportions. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ±4.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
