No Stars In Alberta Election Campaign

Calgary, AB - As the Alberta provincial election campaign nears the finish line, a new Ipsos Reid/Global Calgary poll shows that none of the campaigns have struck a chord with voters. The only campaign with any positive momentum is that of Paul Hinman and the Wildrose Alliance, with improved impressions among 16% of voters, compared to worsened impressions among 10% of voters.

The campaigns of the Liberals and New Democrats have turned-off as many voters as they have turned-on. Kevin Taft and the Liberals have 19% improved impressions and 21% worsened impressions. For Brian Mason and the NDP, it's 15% improved impressions and 17% worsened impressions.

The governing Progressive Conservatives are the only party with significant negative momentum in the campaign. More than one-third (36%) of Albertans say their impression of Ed Stelmach and the Progressive Conservatives has worsened over the course of the campaign, compared to 13% who say their impression has improved.

In Calgary, the results are slightly positive for the Wildrose Alliance and the Liberals, negative for the NDP and very negative for the Conservatives.

• Paul Hinman and the Wildrose Alliance have more improved impressions (19%) than worsened impressions (13%).
• Kevin Taft and the Liberals have more improved impressions (22%) than worsened impressions (17%).
• Brian Mason and the NDP have more worsened impressions (18%) than improved impressions (9%).
• Ed Stelmach and the Progressive Conservatives have more worsened impressions (41%) than improved impressions (8%).

While the Conservatives are struggling with momentum, they are still the top choice of voters to deal with every significant campaign issue. Kevin Taft and the Liberals are second choice on all issues, with the exception of housing affordability, where they finish third (though a statistical tie) to Brian Mason and the NDP.

Ed Stelmach and the Progressive Conservatives do best in relation to their nearest rivals, the Liberals, on the issues of the economy (15 point lead), crime (14 point lead) and oil royalties (12 point lead). The Conservative lead is smaller on the environment (3 point lead), housing affordability (5 point lead over NDP) and education (6 point lead). Of note, is the substantial block of voters (roughly four-in-ten on all issues) who at this point in the campaign are unsure which party is best, or say that none is best.

In Calgary, the Conservatives are rated first (or tied for first) on all issues, with the Liberals being their closest competitor on every issue.

• Similar to the overall provincial results, the Tories have their biggest advantage on the issues of the economy (14 point lead), oil royalties (13 point lead) and crime (11 point lead).
• The Conservative advantage is smaller on the issues of education (6 point lead) and housing affordability (4 point lead).
• The Conservatives have no real advantage over the Liberals on the issues of climate change/environment (1 point lead) and health care (tie).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid online poll conducted between February 25 and 27, 2008. The poll is based on a representative sample of 725 adult Albertans. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of Alberta 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 Alberta population according to Census data.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Kyle Braid
Vice-President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
778-373-5130
[email protected]

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