Vote Compass: Wildrose supporters value different issues

Wildrose Party supporters have a different list of important issues compared to most other Vote Compass respondents, according to recently compiled data.

"In some ways, we could read this as a Wildrose versus the rest campaign," says Clifton van der Linden, executive director of Vote Compass.

Most respondents to CBC's online voter engagement tool rank issues such as taxes, health care, public services and the environment as the most important to them.

But respondents who identify themselves as Wildrose Party supporters "stand apart in the issues they find most important," according to data compiled by Vote Compass academics with the University of Toronto.

Self-identified Wildrose supporters ranked Alberta's contributions to the rest of Canada, the provincial budget deficit, faster access to medical care and oilsands environmental damage as their most important issues, Vote Compass found.

Wildrose supporters also ranked whether immigrants should adopt "Alberta values" as an important issue.

"We see an important differentiation between Wildrose supporters and respondents who support other parties on which issues are important to them," says van der Linden.

Gender, region nota big factorinranking issues

Vote Compass found no "stark difference" between male and female respondents when it comes to ranking the top five issues. Still, women and men are split over funding abortion, according to respondents to the online voter engagment tool.

"Women on average, tend to rank abortion and issues around government funding of abortion as far more important than men," van der Linden told CBC News.

Men tend to place more emphasis on taxes and reducing the deficit.

Vote Compass found no real difference in respondents' ranking of importance based on region. The academics behind Vote Compass stress that issues may not drive voters' choices come election day.

"It's a rather heroic assumption to assume issues drive vote choice on election day," says van der Linden.

"Issues playat besta peripheral role in vote choice," he added.

Overall, the five most important issues identified by Vote Compass respondents are:

• How much the rich should pay in taxes.
• Whether individuals should be able to pay for faster access to medical care.
• Whether environmental damage caused by the oilsands is exaggerated.
• How much of a role the private sector should play in health care.
• Whether the provincial deficit should be reduced, even if it leads to fewer public services.

Self-identified Wildrose supporters told Vote Compass their most important issues are:

• Albertans pay more than their fair share to the rest of Canada.
• The provincial budget deficit should be reduced, even if it means fewer public services.
• The environmental damage caused by the oilsands industry is exaggerated.
• Immigrants should adopt Albertan values.
• People should be able to pay for faster access to medical treatment.