A new poll from Narrative Research suggests satisfaction in New Brunswick’s provincial government has “partially rebounded” following a “dramatic” decline in support late last year.
However, the poll suggests New Brunswick voters remain split on who they’d like to see as premier.
In a release Thursday, the market intelligence and research company said 47 per cent of those polled said they were currently satisfied with the performance of the Progressive Conservative government, led by Premier Blaine Higgs.
That’s higher than the 31 per cent who said they were satisfied in November 2021, but still falling short of the 57 per cent who said they were satisfied in August 2021.
“Dissatisfaction is elevated among residents under 55 years of age and Francophones,” the release said.
The survey, held every quarter, was conducted among 545 adult New Brunswickers between Feb. 9 and Feb. 27. Overall results have a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times, the release said.
According to Narrative Research, New Brunswick is the province with the least amount of satisfaction in its provincial government. In Nova Scotia, 67 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with the provincial government, while 58 per cent said they were satisfied with leadership in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Residents of Prince Edward Island were the most satisfied, with 80 per cent of respondents there saying they were satisfied with the Progressive Conservative government, led by Premier Dennis King.
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2 in 10 prefer Higgs as premier
Narrative Research also said voting intentions have shifted. According to the survey, 34 per cent of those polled said they would vote for the Progressive Conservatives if an election were held today, up from 28 per cent in November 2021.
Meanwhile, 31 per cent — “virtually the same proportion” — would vote for the Liberals, a decrease from the 38 per cent reported in the last survey. Voter support remains stable for the Green Party, with 16 per cent of respondents saying they would case a vote for that party, while 11 per cent said they would vote for the NDP.
The People’s Alliance of New Brunswick has support from five per cent of decided voters, the release said, which is unchanged from the last survey.
“Regional differences are evident, with the Liberals having stronger support in Northern NB and the PCs having stronger support in Southern NB,” the release said.
Despite an increase in overall satisfaction in government, just 20 per cent of respondents preferred Higgs as premier, compared to 19 per cent in November 2021.
Support for Roger Melanson, interim leader of the Liberals, has declined, with 18 per cent of the vote, down from 23 per cent in the last survey.
“Regionally, Melanson is more preferred in Northern NB than other leaders. Support for Higgs is higher among older residents,” the release said.
Support is stable for David Coon of the Green Party, with 17 per cent, while 10 per cent — up slightly from eight per cent — said they would prefer Kris Austin of the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick.
MacKenzie Thomason, the interim leader of the NDP, has seen a slight dip in support, with five per cent of respondents saying they would prefer him, down from eight per cent in November 2021.
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