Angus Reid survey finds more voters “very certain” of their ballot choice in B.C.

The Story

British Columbians’ voting certainty has increased, according to an Angus Reid Institute online survey conducted between Oct. 1 and 3.

In the survey, 46 per cent of respondents said they were “very certain” who they will vote for, up from 35 per cent who said that in the first week of the campaign.

Among those surveyed who were decided, 48 per cent said they will vote for the Conservatives and 43 per cent said they will vote for the BC NDP.

The institute said the growth in certainty has been reflected more among Conservative supporters than among those who would support the BC NDP. On Sept. 24, 47 per cent of Conservative supporters said they were “very certain” of their choice; the share rose to 65 per cent.

For BC NDP supporters, Angus Reid said the increase was smaller. It reported that 41 per cent of BC NDP supporters said on Sept. 24 they were “very certain” about their vote, compared with 44 per cent after the Oct. 1-to-3 survey.

The survey also reported changes in opinion toward Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson, who was appointed about 36 hours before David Eby called the election. Angus Reid said that on Sept. 24, 40 per cent of respondents said they did not know enough about Doerkson to have an opinion.

It reported that 25 per cent are still “reserving judgement,” while 38 per cent said they are favourable toward Doerkson and 38 per cent said they are unfavourable.

On David Eby, the institute said 58 per cent of respondents view him unfavourably and 37 per cent view him favourably.

Angus Reid said support for the BC Greens dropped from 12 per cent to seven per cent since Sept. 24, and that support for OneBC and CentreBC combined fell from 10 per cent to two per cent.

The institute found that concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump ranked low among issues B.C. voters said they are using to decide who they will vote for. Angus Reid reported that one in 10 ranked U.S. tariffs, Donald Trump and the alcohol ban as a top issue.

Instead, it reported that the top concerns were the cost of living or inflation (59 per cent), health care (42 per cent), the economy or jobs (28 per cent), housing affordability (25 per cent), and the deficit or government spending (24 per cent).