According to new public polling data released by the Angus Reid Institute on Friday, B.C. Premier Christy Clark’s approval ratings have dropped four percent just as the May 9th Election Day steadily approaches.
In the last quarter Premier Clark’s approval ratings have dropped from 35% to 31%, the data reveals.
This puts Clark behind the B.C. New Democratic Party leader John Horgan (42%) and B.C. green Party leader Andrew Weaver (36%).
To make matters worse for the Premier, the new data also reveals that up to three-quarters of B.C. residents (76%) feel that the governing B.C. Liberal Party “is only interested in helping its political donors and big business.”
However, the opposition parties shouldn’t get too hopeful, as another key finding of the report reveals that roughly three-in-five B.C. residents (62%) believe that the current opposition parties “don’t have a real plan to help British Columbians.”
Perhaps the most positive news for the B.C. Liberals to take from the data is that Christy Clark is narrowly rated by respondents to be the best suited to deal with the economy.
According to the data, Christy Clark is narrowly ahead of John Horgan by just 3 percentage points (27% - 24%), while the majority of respondents (30%) claim they are unsure of who is best suited to deal with the economy.
Will the edge on the economy be enough for the B.C. Liberals, though?
Despite the fact the economy is listed as one of the top three important issues facing British Columbians, it falls behind housing and health care. And respondents revealed they consider John Horgan to be best suited to deal with health care, who climbs ahead of Premier Clark 30% to 19%.
Ultimately, the past has taught us not to put too much trust in public opinion polls. But regardless, this news will not go down well with the B.C. Liberals.
