BC Residents Support Natural Gas Choice and LNG Expansion

Vancouver, BC, September 9, 2025 – A recent Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of the Energy Futures Institute shows more than six-in-ten residents support being able to choose natural gas to heat their homes. A similar six-in-ten support the development of additional LNG export facilities in British Columbia.

Support for Choice of Natural Gas or Electric Heat
Survey respondents were told that “some municipal governments in BC have recently adopted policies which effectively ban the use of natural gas for new residential and commercial buildings”.

With this in mind, more than six-in-ten (63%) BC residents say they support allowing British Columbians to choose whether to use natural gas and/or electricity for heating their homes and workplaces, instead of just electricity. One-quarter (24%) of BC residents oppose this choice and 13% are undecided.
•    Support for a choice is higher in Southern Interior/North (69%) and among the 35-54 year old age segment (68%).

Support for Additional LNG Export Facilities
Slightly more than six-in-ten (62%) BC residents say they support the development of additional LNG export facilities in British Columbia. Only two-in-ten (19%) residents oppose more LNG export facilities, while two-in-ten (19%) are undecided.
•    Support for additional LNG export facilities is higher among men (76% vs. 51% of women) and lower among younger residents (56% of 18-34 years) and Vancouver Island residents (53%).

Support for Including LNG Exports in Emission Reductions
Survey respondents were told that “BC government targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions currently focus only on emissions within British Columbia”.

With this in mind, a slight majority (52%) of BC residents say they support including BC exports of liquified natural gas (LNG) in provincial emission reduction targets because these exports may displace the use of higher emission diesel and coal in power plants in other countries. Only two-in-ten (20%) oppose this idea while three-in-ten (28%) are undecided.
•    Support for including LNG exports in reduction targets is higher among men (64%) than among women (43%).

 
Support for Delaying Emission Reduction Targets
Survey respondents were told that “For the past few years, BC has imported electricity from the United States and Alberta to meet up to 25% of our needs. BC Hydro forecasts that electricity demand in British Columbia will increase by at least 15% between now and 2030, with the trend continuing in following decades. BC Hydro will have more capacity when the Site C dam is completed and has also signed contracts with wind power producers to provide more electricity by the early 2030s. But these projects may not meet all of the growing demand for electricity. The BC Government's latest Climate Change Accountability Report says the province is not on track to meet its Greenhouse Gas Emission reduction targets.”

With this in mind, more than half (54%) of BC residents say they support the idea of delaying current timelines for greenhouse gas emission reduction targets (such as a 16% reduction by 2025 and 40% reduction by 2030) to help meet BC's increased electricity demand over the next few decades. Three-in-ten (31%) oppose a delay, while 15% are undecided 
•    Support for delaying current timelines for greenhouse gas emission reduction targets is higher in the Southern Interior/North (60%) and among men (60% vs. 48% among women). Younger British Columbians are less likely than older residents to support a delay, but more still support (47%) than oppose (37%) a delay.
 

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted July 31 to August 6, 2025, on behalf of the Energy Futures Initiative. For this survey, a sample of 801 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. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Kyle Braid
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Public Affairs Canada 
+1 604 788 2417
[email protected]
 

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