Stelmach Given Solid Approval Ratings
Calgary, AB - Four months into his term as the 13th Premier of Alberta, a new Ipsos Reid poll finds that Ed Stelmach remains very popular with Albertans. Currently almost two-thirds (66%) Albertans say they approve of his performance as Premier, a rating close to that of his predecessor Ralph Klein (71%) in the last weeks of his leadership.
The poll also reveals that in terms of voter support, the Stelmach-led Progressive Conservatives remain well out front with the support of six-in-ten (59%) of decided voters in Alberta. Although this result represents a nine-point drop from Stelmach's initial post election bounce in December 2006 (68%), it is comparable to the support rating given to the Klein-led government in November of 2006 (58%) and this time last year (58%). The Kevin Taft-led Liberals are a distant second place with the support of two-in-ten (21%) voters, followed by Brian Mason and the NDP with the support of one-in-ten (10%) Albertans.
These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll fielded between April 10 and April 15, 2007 and is based on a randomly selected sample of 800 adult Albertans. Results based on a sample size of 800 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 Albertan population been polled. Data was statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Alberta population according to the 2001 Census.
Four Months Into His Term Stelmach Enjoys Strong (66%) Approval Ratings from Albertans
Four months after Ed Stelmach was sworn in as the leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservatives - and the newest Premier of Alberta - he commands a solid approval rating with two thirds (66%) of Albertans supporting his performance as Premier. Of that, 21% "strongly approve," while 45% "moderately approve." Conversely, less than two-in-ten (16%) disapprove of his performance (6% "strongly disapprove" and 10% "moderately disapprove"), while two-in-ten (19%) are unsure of his performance; indicating that many Albertans may be reserving judgment until the new Premier has been in tenure for a longer period.
By comparison, in November of 2006, and with less than four weeks to go before his retirement, Klein enjoyed some of the highest approval ratings of his career from Albertans (71%). Stelmach's current approval ratings are comparable to Klein's this time last year (65%), indicating that Stelmach has returned to normal approval ratings overall.
On the other hand, Kevin Taft currently draws a 44% approval rating (down 10 percentage-points from November 2006), with 8% expressing "strong approval." Brian Mason, leader of the Alberta NDP sits at a 35% approval rating from Albertans (down 22 percentage-points), with 6% expressing "strong approval." Paul Hinman, leader of the Alberta Alliance, sits at a 24% approval rating (down 8 percentage-points), with 3% expressing "strong approval."
Those who are more likely to approve of Stelmach's performance as the new Premier include Albertans 55 years of age and older (73%) compared to Albertans 18 - 35 (61%) and residents of Central Alberta (77%), Northern Alberta (70%) and Edmonton (69%), as compared to residents of Calgary (57%).
I'd like you to think about the leaders of Alberta's political parties. Thinking about [...], would you say you generally approve or disapprove of the way he/she has performed as [...]?
Stelmach-Led Progressive Conservatives (59%) Still Way Out Front in Voter Preferences; Liberals (20%) and NDP (10%) Well Behind.
Support for the reigning Conservatives has remained consistent over the past several years, and the Stelmach-led Progressive Conservative party continues this tradition by staying well out front with the support of six-in-ten (59%) decided voters. Although this result represents a nine-point drop from the Stelmach government's initial post-election bounce in December 2006 (68%), it is also the second highest support rating for the Conservative government since July 2001 (61%). This places the Stelmach-led government in virtual lockstep with the voter support rating given to the former Klein-led government in November of 2006 (58%) and this time last year (58%).
The Kevin Taft-led Liberals, on the other hand, maintain a distant second place, with two-in-ten (20%) support. This is consistent with the results obtained September and November of 2006 (22%), and it is up four percentage-points from this time last year (18%). The Alberta New Democrats received support from one-in-ten (10%), seeing a four point increase from last December (6%), but a drop of three percentage-points from this time last year (13%). The Alberta Alliance (6%) sees a slight increase from December 2006 (3%), but remains consistent with findings from this time last year (5%). The Green Party (5%) overall sees little change from December (4%) and this time last year (5%).
Those more likely to support the Progressive Conservatives include Albertans 55 years of age and older (65%) and 35 - 54 (61%) compared to Albertans 18 - 35 (50%), residents of Northern Alberta (71%) as compared to residents of Edmonton (58%), and Albertans with less formal education (high school or less, 64%) as compared to those with more formal education (university graduates, 52%).
If a provincial election were held tomorrow, which one of the following parties' candidate would you, yourself, be most likely to support, or lean towards?
For more information on this press release, please contact:
Cory Davison
Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
(403) 294-5614
[email protected]
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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.
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