Satisfaction with P.E.I.'s PC government at 91% according to poll

The Progressive Conservative government led by Premier Dennis King remains very popular, according to thelatest quarterly Narrative Research political poll.

The Progressive Conservatives led by King were elected in April 2019forming a minority government. A deferred election and a byelection changed that status to a small majoritybyNovember2020. The latest legislativesession just wrapped up Friday.

Ninety-one per cent ofrespondents saidthey were completely or mostly satisfied with the overall performance of the King government. That is upfrom 85 per cent in the last poll in August, and close to May's high of 92 per cent. Compared to a year ago, satisfaction with the King government is up 14per cent.

When asked which person they'd prefer as premier of P.E.I., 54 per cent said Dennis King that's his highest rating ever whereas 19 per cent said they'd prefer Green Party Leader Peter Bevan-Baker, his lowest rating by the pollster since at least November 2018.

Nine per cent said they'd prefer interim Liberal Leader Sonny Gallant for the premier's job.

The margin of error for these sectionsof the poll was5.7 percentage points, with a sample size of 300.

'Islanders are supportive'

"The government has introduced numerous restrictions in response to the global pandemic that directly impact businesses and residents," said Margaret Brigley, Narrative Research's CEO, in a written release Tuesday.

"Despite those actions, the levels of overall satisfaction enjoyed by the provincial government since the pandemic are unprecedented, suggesting Islanders are supportive of the government's actions during these difficult times."

When asked what party they'd vote for if an election were held today, 61 per cent of decided voters said Progressive Conservative that's the highest number in the last year, and a significant change compared to a year ago when38 per cent of Island voters said they'd vote PC.

The Liberals would have 19 per cent of that vote, the Green Party of P.E.I. 18 per cent, and the New Democratic Party two per cent.

Twenty-seven per cent of Islanders said they were undecided, didn't know, refused to state or won't vote, which has remained fairly steady the last year.

The margin of error for thepart of the poll on decided voters is 6.7 percentage points, based on a sample size of 211.

The results were tabulated from a telephone survey of 300 adult P.E.I. residents conducted between Nov.11 and 29.

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