FROM November 22 to 28, Abacus Data conducted a survey of 1,000 BC adults exploring their views on provincial politics and government. This survey was part of a special provincial Omnibus survey.

If an election was held at the time of the survey, the BC NDP would likely win another large majority government. The BC NDP has the support of 44% of committed voters, a four-point drop from its 2020 election tally.

The BC Conservatives are second with 26% followed by the official opposition BC United at 17%. Compared with the 2020 provincial election, the BC Conservatives led by John Rustad are up 24 points while BC United (previously known as the BC Liberal Party) is down 17 points. The BC Greens are at 9%, down six points since the election.

Regionally, the BC NDP is ahead by 22 points in Metro Vancouver, by 27 points on Vancouver Island, and statistically tied with the BC Conservatives in the Interior and North.

The BC NDP is ahead by 30 points among those aged 45 and over but only ahead by three points among those under 45. The BC Conservatives do 12 points better among younger BCers than older ones.

The BC NDP leads by 24 among women (49% to 25% for the BC Conservatives) and 12 points among men (40% to 28% for the BC Conservatives).

British Columbians are generally more optimistic about the direction of their province than Canadians in other provinces. In our survey, 34% of British Columbians feel the province is headed in the right direction which is 10 points higher than a recent survey Abacus Data did in Ontario and 11 points higher than how Canadians feel about their own country.

At the same time, the Eby government’s approval rating is net positive: 36% approve while 27% disapprove. Another 27% say they neither approve nor disapprove of the government’s performance.

In terms of leader impressions, Premier David Eby is by far the most popular provincial party leader: 39% have a positive impression while 25% have a negative view. In comparison, BC United Leader Kevin Falcon is net -10 with 20% positive and 30% negative. BC Greens Leader Sonia Furstenau is even with 23% positive and 23% negative, while BC Conservative Leader John Rustad is -2 with 25% positive and 27% negative. Both Rustad and Furstenau are both less well known that Eby or Falcon.

When Abacus Data asks people to rate the top two issues they want the provincial government to most prioritize, 54% select the rising cost of living, 37% want the focus to be on housing while 31% select improving the healthcare system.