The latest polls show the BC NDP continuing to hold a wide lead over their rivals as the election heads into its final two weeks.
Ipsos and Leger polls released on Tuesday show John Horgan’s party in a commanding position, with 52 per cent of Ipsos respondents and 50 per cent of Leger respondents supporting the NDP.
The BC Liberals are trailing in the double-digits, with 34 per cent of Ipsos respondents and 35 per cent of Leger respondents saying they will vote for the party.
Sonia Furstenau’s BC Green Party continues to lag in a distant third, with 11 per cent of Ipsos respondents and 12 per cent of Leger respondents expressing their support for the Greens.
The results are largely unchanged from previous polls done by each firm.
From the previous BC election poll by Ipsos, released on September 29, the NDP and Liberals have each gained a single point, while the Greens dropped 1 per cent.
At Leger, the difference was only slightly larger from their last poll, conducted from September 24 to 28. The NDP gained three points, the Liberals gained four, and the Greens gained one point.
(Decided voters, Leger)
Among leadership, the results were even more stark, with NDP leader John Horgan rated by 45 per cent of Ipsos respondents as the best choice for premier, while Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson was selected by 16 per cent and Green Leader Sonia Furstenau was chosen by 6 per cent.
Leger found similar results with a more personal question, asking who voters would most like to have over for dinner and a casual conversation.
40 per cent said they’d host Horgan for dinner, compared to 19 per cent for Wilkinson and 11 per cent for Furstenau.
Ipsos reported a high number of undecided voters, with 27 per cent of respondents saying they were either exploring options or had no preference.
Leger on the other hand found only 7 per cent of those they surveyed were still unsure who they would vote for, and another 4 per cent who said they wouldn’t vote at all.
With the polls coming out just ahead of the BC Leaders Debate on Tuesday, the opposition parties are poised to seize any advantage they can to cause a shift in voting intentions.
The Ipsos poll surveyed 1,000 British Columbians from October 8 to 11, 2020. The overall poll is accurate to within +/ – 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The Leger poll surveyed 1,100 British Columbian residents, 18 years of age or older, who have the right to vote in British Columbia, randomly recruited from either LEO’s online panel or telephone interviewing, from October 6 to 9, 2020. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of 1,100 respondents would have a margin of error of ± 3.0%, 19 times out of 20.
