NDP support up on P.E.I., while other parties slip, poll indicates

A new poll on P.E.I. indicates increased support for the NDP, while support for the Liberals, PC Party and Green Party has slipped over the past three months.

"There is some significant upward movement in NDP support in the province," said Rod Budgell, executive vice-president of MQO research, in a written release.

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Atlantic Matters is a quarterly public opinion poll launched in April by St. John's, N.L.-based MarketQuest-Onmifacts (MQO) Research. The company plans to poll four times a year in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, P.E.I., and Newfoundland and Labrador.

'Upward movement'

When asked, "If a provincial election were held today, which party would you most likely vote for?" the poll shows among decided voters:

• Liberal support down eight per cent (now 41 per cent) over the past three months.
• PC support down three per cent (now nine per cent).
• Green Party support down three per cent (now four per cent).
• NDP support up 6 per cent (now 10 per cent).

The poll also shows the number of undecided/don't know voters up slightly to 24 per cent from 21.

The poll was conducted by telephone from July 5 to 19 and included 300 randomly-selected eligible voters from across P.E.I., MQO said. The margin of error for the survey is 5.65 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

Leadership

MQO also asked potential voters, "How would you rate the overall leadership of Premier Wade MacLauchlan?"

His rating dropped to a mean rating of 6.1 out of 10, down from 6.6 in April.

"In April, 36 per cent of respondents felt the premier's leadership deserved a rating of 8 to 10, while in July that number sits at 27 per cent," the release concluded.

The poll reports fewer respondents feeling the province's general outlook is improving at 23 per cent, down from 27 per cent in April and more respondents feeling "things are getting worse," at 16 per cent up from 11 per cent.

However, respondents did not report more concerns over job security or cost of living.

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