King, P.E.I.'s PC government, soar in popularity during pandemic

The Progressive Conservative government led by Premier Dennis King is the most popular Narrative Research has seen on P.E.I. since it started political polls on the Island.

The King government was performing well in the Narrative polls before the pandemic, with 81 per cent mostly or completely satisfied with its performance in February. In May, it found 92 per cent mostly or completely satisfied.

The margin of error for that part of the poll was 5.7 percentage points.

Satisfaction with the government was reflected in stated voting intentions.

Fifty-four per cent of respondents said they were ready to vote PC, up from 45 in February. The gain came at the expense of the Greens, down six points to 22 per cent, and the NDP, down five points to one per cent.

The Liberals were steady at 22 per cent. Undecideds were also steady at 20 per cent.

"It's not surprising that support for a government is escalated during a time of crisis given the increased profile and regular public briefings," said Narrative Research CEO Margaret Brigley in a news release.

"For the moment, that confidence has translated into increased voter intentions for the PC Party."

The margin of error for that part of the poll was 6.7 percentage points.

Narrative Research reached 300 Islanders of voting age by telephone for the poll. The poll was taken over a two-and-a-half-week period, from April 29-May 17.

The polling period coincides very closely with Phase 1 of ease back of pandemic restrictions, which started on May 1, and were relaxed further on May 8. On May 15, the government announced it would start Phase 3 on June 1, two weeks earlier than originally scheduled.

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