Majority in BC Support Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project

Vancouver, BC (June 17, 2019) — A new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Resource Works [1] shows a majority of British Columbians in support of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.

Poll Findings

Six-in-ten (60%) British Columbians say they support the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, which involves building a second pipeline on the existing route between Alberta and Metro Vancouver (29% strongly, 32% somewhat). Roughly three-in-ten (29%) residents say they oppose the project (15% strongly, 14% somewhat), while one-in-ten (11%) are undecided.

Support for Trans Mountain is consistent across regions including 59% support in Metro Vancouver (29% opposed), 60% support on Vancouver Island (32% opposed) and 63% support in the Interior/North (26% opposed).

Project support does differ by gender and age, although a majority of both genders and all ages support the project.

• Support is much higher among men (70% support vs. 23% oppose) than among women (52% support vs. 34% oppose).
• Support is higher among older British Columbians (67% support vs. 28% oppose among 55+ years, 59% support vs. 27% oppose among 35-54 years, 52% support vs. 32% oppose among 18-34 years)

Support for the project also increases with household income. Among those over $100K household income, support is 76% compared to 20% opposed. Among those with household incomes under $40K, support is 53% compared to 32% opposed

Public support for Trans Mountain is up slightly from the most recent publicly released Ipsos poll on the project. In April 2018, a slightly smaller majority of British Columbians (55%, including 30% strongly and 26% somewhat) supported the project, while nearly four-in-ten (37%, including 17% strongly and 20% somewhat) were opposed and 7% were undecided (fielded Apr 24-30, 2018 as part of a national study that included 526 BC respondents).

About the Study

These are the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of the Resource Works between June 10 and 14, 2019. For this survey, a sample of 803 adult British Columbians (18+ years) was interviewed online via the Ipsos I-Say panel and non-panel sources. These data have been weighted by region, gender, age and education to reflect the population of BC according to Census figures. The precision of Ipsos polls conducted online is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the overall results are accurate to within ±4.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all adult British Columbians been polled. 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
SVP, Ipsos Public Affairs
+1 778-373-5130
[email protected]

[1] Resource Works communicates with British Columbians about the importance of the province's resource sectors to their personal well-being. It demonstrates how responsible development of British Columbia's resources creates jobs and incomes throughout the province, both directly and indirectly, while maintaining a clean and healthy environment. And Resource Works explores the long-term economic future of British Columbia as a place that depends on the responsible development, extraction and transportation of the province's resources.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks fourth in the global research industry. With offices in 89 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: brand, advertising and media; customer loyalty; marketing; public affairs research; and survey management. Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe. Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of €1,780.5 million in 2017.