British Columbians Back BC Liberals

Vancouver, BC - As the BC Liberals near the mid-point of their second mandate, a new Ipsos Reid poll shows both the government and the Premier enjoying their best approval ratings since they were first elected in 2001. In contrast, voter support for the NDP has fallen to its lowest level since Carole James was chosen as party leader in November 2003.

Nearly six-in-ten (58%, up 2 points) British Columbians say they approve of the overall performance of the BC Liberal Government. A slight majority (53%, up 3 points) say they approve of Gordon Campbell's performance as Premier. Both of these approval ratings are the highest since very early in the BC Liberals' first Mandate (70% approval in Sept 2001 for both government and Premier).

These approval ratings have translated into strong voter support for the BC Liberals. The party currently has support of 49% (up 4 points) of the province's decided voters - 17 points better than the NDP at 32% (down 4 points). NDP support is at its lowest point since September 2003 (31%), which was two months prior to the election of Carole James as leader.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid telephone poll conducted between April 4 and April 10, 2007. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 800 adult British Columbians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of BC been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual BC population according to the 2001 Census data.

Approval Ratings For BC Liberal Government (58%) And Premier Gordon Campbell (53%) At Highest Since 2001

Nearly six-in-ten (58%) British Columbians say they approve of the performance of the BC Liberal Government, including 17% who "strongly" approve and 41% who "moderately" approve. This approval rating is up 2 points from last September and is the highest rating for the government since September 2001 (70%). Meanwhile, about one-third (35%, down 7 points) disapprove of the government's performance, including 16% who "strongly" disapprove and 20% who "somewhat" disapprove.

• Government approval is higher with men (64% vs. 51% women) and higher income households (67% higher vs. 55% middle, 51% lower).

BC Liberal Government Approval Tracking

Gordon Campbell's approval rating of 53% is up 3 points from December 2006 and is his highest approval rating since September 2001 (70%). Overall, 14% "strongly" approve and 39% "moderately" approve of his performance as Premier. Four-in-ten (41%, down 5 points) disapprove of his performance, including 26% "strongly" and 15% "moderately".

• Campbell's approval rating is higher with men (60% vs. 47% women) and higher income households (62% higher vs. 52% middle, 43% lower).

Gordon Campbell Approval Tracking

BC Liberals (49%) Open Huge Lead On NDP (32%); NDP Support Lowest Since September 2003

The BC Liberals continue to lead in the battle for voter support in British Columbia. The BC Liberals currently have the support of 49% (up 4 points from December) of the province's decided voters, a 17-point lead over the NDP at 32% (down 4 points). The Green Party is in third place at 15% (down 1 point) support. These results exclude the 15% of British Columbians who are undecided or express no preference.

Of note, 32% is the lowest level of NDP support recorded under the leadership of Carole James. Support had not previously fallen below 35% since James was elected in November 2003 (NDP support was 31% in September 2003).

• The BC Liberals lead by 24 points in the Lower Mainland (52% Lib vs. 28% NDP) and by 7 points in the rest of BC (45% Lib vs. 38% NDP).
• The BC Liberals lead by 26 points among men (55% Lib vs. 29% NDP) and by 8 points among women (43% Lib vs. 35% NDP).
• The BC Liberals also have much stronger support from higher income households (62% higher vs. 44% middle, 39% lower).

Decided Vote Tracking

Approval Rating For NDP Leader James (51%) Drops 8 Points

Carole James' approval rating as NDP and opposition leader is down 8 points this quarter to 51% (9% "strongly", 42% "moderately"). This is the lowest approval rating for James since just prior to the last provincial election (50% in March 2005).

Her disapproval rating of 31% is up 5 points from December (12% "strongly", 18% "moderately").

• James' approval rating is consistent across regions and demographic groups.

Carole James Approval Tracking

For more information on this press release, please contact:
Kyle Braid
Vice-President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
(604) 257-3200
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

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